


Journey of the Magi

by Magus_Anon



Series: Journey of the Magi [1]
Category: Monster Girl Encyclopedia
Genre: Monster Girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:16:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 335,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28817682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magus_Anon/pseuds/Magus_Anon
Summary: The saga begins
Series: Journey of the Magi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112840
Comments: 23
Kudos: 109





	1. Chapter 1

Damn you were hungry. And tired. And thirsty. In fact, nothing about your current situation could be construed as ‘comfortable.’ With a sunburnt hand you wiped the ever-present sweat from your brow. You wince as your reddened skin brushes against your crusty, unkempt hair. It had been days since you had arrived in this humid, verdant hell-hole. With a grunt you hoist your body over yet another log, your tattered, soggy sneakers sinking into the thin layer of leaves and debris that covered the forest floor. Finding a rock jutting up from the earth, you sit down and recoup your energy. Breaks were becoming more and more of a necessity thanks to the lack of food, water and sleep. Taking inventory of your surroundings, you tried to make sense of the events that had landed you in this situation.

~~~  
You were in your car, returning home from the store with some groceries. Nothing special. You had taken this road hundreds of times before. The area was sparsely populated, just empty winding roads meandering over rolling hills. As you drove listening to the classic rock station, your radio abruptly lost the signal. At first you suspected that it was a problem at the station, but all channels you flipped through were nothing but static. As quickly as the static had come, you were suddenly struck with a feeling of impending doom. For some reason you were absolutely certain that you were about to die. Your mind flashed through dozens of different explanations, alien abduction chief among them. You never believed in little green men, but this seemed to fit the bill pretty well from what you had heard. A wave of nausea rocked your body and you could feel an unconscious groan of pain forced from your lungs. A phantom force wrenched your being tearing your life-force from you.

And then it stopped. The pain and despair melted away as you felt yourself torn away from your mortal coil. For an instant, you were passing through your car, watching it continue down the road. But you were moving as well. You were floating, only a foot of two off the ground, and accelerating across the road. A black expanse bloomed before you. Beginning as just a pinprick, the inky maw yawned open, blocking out what little light was behind it.  
Perhaps by the same divine grace that had removed your pain and fear before, you were not afraid as you entered the void. As you passed beyond the veil, the cool blue of the world at night faded from your peripherals. Sinking farther into the abyss, the chirping of crickets became fainter and fainter. In front of you lay only darkest darkness. Twisting around, which took some effort in this zero-gravity form, you watched as the portal disappeared into the distance, easily visible in the darkness despite being so dim. When the pinprick of lesser darkness had faded, you began to wonder about your situation. Was this hell? Had you been condemned to a void forever to pay for your sins? Purgatory? Something no one has ever though of before? Or was this some form of oblivion, as close to nonexistence as a soul could get?

Your metaphysical musings were interrupted by a faint glow in front of you. Twisting around, your eyes focus on a warm glow. This new light was much brighter than the world you had left. The light grew larger and larger. As it grew, you realized that the light source was not growing, you were travelling towards it. You had no idea you were still moving since you had no way of orienting yourself. Your other senses were either not functioning or simply had nothing to pick up. As you drew near to the glow it became evident that the source of the light was enormous. A wall of shimmering amber light rippled and swayed like an arura. Craning your neck up and down you were unable to see any beginning or end to the wall in any direction. Only a cool amber glow, not blinding or harsh, as far as the eye could see. 

As you made contact with the barrier, you felt a jolt as you collided with the wall. It wasn't enough to stop you but there was resistance. Inside the cloud was a breathtaking miasma of glowing fog. Such a material should have made any sort of sight nigh impossible, but your vision was unhindered. Picking up speed, once again accelerating towards your unknown fate, you twisted and turned to observe all you could of this alien and beautiful dimension. 

A ripple rocked your body. Turning away from the direction you were moving, you could see that something else had made contact with the wall behind you. This object appeared to make much more of a ‘splash’ on contact. Whatever it was had been completely stopped by the barrier. Watching as you floated away from the foreign body, the cloud around it began to glow and pulse. A halo of light enveloped it. As the light grew brighter, you could see the silhouette of a person in its midst. You felt a twang of regret as you realized that this may be a person your car hit after you had died. Unlike you, this person was motionless. Their limbs hung loose beneath them, floating in this amber void. As you flew farther into the cloud, the bright speck in the fog began to shrink, then grow again. Straining your eyes, you could see that the person was headed in your direction.

Was this a vengeful spirit? You watched as the light enshrouded corpse grew closer and closer. It was moving much faster than you. Twisting to the direction you were being pulled, you flailed your arms and legs in a vain attempt to move faster or alter your course. Looking back, you were alarmed to find the vengeful spirit gaining on you. Holding up your hands, you began to plead for forgiveness. It wasn’t your fault, it w-… was that your body?

Your body collided with you at phenomenal speed. In an extremely unpleasant sensation, you felt your essence crammed back into you. Pain burned in your chest. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of you. To make matters worse, another impact rocks your body. This hurt, like you had been tossed through drywall. Another black expanse appeared, with another amber wall behind you. You had passed through whatever supernatural phenomenon you had encountered. Cartwheeling through the darkness you watched as the wall grew fainter and fainter with each rotation. Alone in the dark again. 

As the wall was about to disappear from your vision entirely, another speck of light appeared in the opposite direction. With some effort, you flailed enough to cease your rotations and observe the new beacon. This time, the light was a pale blue. It reminded you of home. You were certainly heading towards it, not that there was any other place to go. A faint tingling on your skin caused you to inspect your leg, but you did not find anything. As you grew closer, the sensation of something on your skin became more and more intense. Air. With it came smells, a faint smell, but even the smell of atmosphere was a stark contrast to the complete absence of scent. You could hear a bird cry out in the distance. You could see it. You were much closer than you had believed yourself to be. The source of these sensations appeared to be a small hole, only a bit bigger than a manhole cover. In it you could see a forest sprawling out beneath you, with rivers cutting through the dense jungle. Suddenly, the view shifted to a small pond, and the edges of the portal began to and tremble. In an instant, the black void vanished, replaced with blue sky and a noonday sun. Unfortunately, the jungle was still beneath you as you were still 150 feet in the air. Uh oh.

Your landing in the pond was been pure luck. Both the fact that you had been spat-out above it and entered the water at such an angle that your organs were not reduced to paste inside your body. Feet first, and the water was deep enough to avoid hitting the bottom. The only injuries you incurred were bruised arms, a few breaths of water, and a sore ass since you had been leaning back a little on entry. 3.6 from the German judge. Swimming was never your strong suit, but you managed to paddle, crawl, stroke and thrash your way to the shore. With no inkling of where you were, or what to do, you wrung your clothes out and began to head west, towards the setting sun. Were there even people here?  
~~~~~  
You sighed and shook what little dirt you could out of your shoes. You had remembered the scenario hundreds of times during your expedition, and still could not remember any clues about your location. This may be hell. It sure felt like it. Were you even dead? Did you hallucinate on a trip to the Amazon and wander off? This place seemed a bit different than earth. It didn’t really matter though. If you couldn’t find civilization soon, you were going to die anyways. Your hunger and thirst had already begun to cause hallucinations, making you follow a sweet scent only to lead you to a flower that transformed into a woman. It seemed so obvious that such an outrageous thing is impossible now that you were miles away, but it felt so real at the time that you ran away screaming when you saw it. This had to end soon. It would end soon. One way or another. With a groan you raised yourself off your rock and carried on towards the sunset. 

As night fell, your blistered feet and wasting body begged you for respite. Sleep had eluded you since you arrived. The heat, humidity, rain, and moisture made any position and any location uncomfortable. The trees were unclimbable thanks to the lack of low branches. Not that you could climb them anyways in your emaciated state. You had taken shelter under overhangs and in root clumps so far. Even when you managed to find a location that was not wholly intolerable, the sounds of the jungle and your nerves had been enough to keep you awake. Living in the suburbs had made you forget just how loud all this life could be. And though you had not seen any large animals, your presence had at times frightened large animals away into the forest. What they are, how many of them they were, and what they ate was a mystery to you. If any predator found you cowering in a hole, you would make an easy meal. Nights were spent on high alert, shifting around in the mud, waiting for the break of day.

Using the last of the sun’s rays as it sank over the horizon, you spy a small alcove formed by the root of a massive tree and the ground. With scraped and dirty hands, you shoveled out enough dirt to squeeze your self into the hole. Curling up into the fetal position, you closed your eyes and listened to the sounds of the night. Insect calls dominated your hearing, but tonight something else was present. Sitting up, and crawling out of your hovel, you listen closely. There was a white noise, so subtle that you hadn’t registered it at first. Behind the insects was a soft gurgling noise, a deep steady pitch emanating from farther into the jungle. Water. You licked your dry cracked lips in anticipation. First thing tomorrow you would slake your thirst. Returning to your hole, you begin to doze, dreaming of being able to drink your fill.  
~~~~~  
Madari’Saghlor, was the chieftess of the village, slayer of the river beast, greatest hunter in all the amazon tribes, and she were not pleased. Today was supposed to be the beginning of the Great Hunt, the most important holiday of her people. Now, instead of leading the tribe to a human frontier town, she was only a mile away from the village.

“You see my chief?! Look and see! See how the interloper has defiled our most sacred of sites!”

Madari looked down at Yamazi, the head shaman of the village, and high-priestess. Her clenched teeth and scrunched nose looked up at you. Her priestess robes, a mass of tattered grey cloth, covered every inch of her except her arms and face. The small woman shook her arms erratically, causing the talismans and charms on her person to jingle and chime. 

“This cannot stand my chief! It cannot! We must do something about this!”

Madari sighed. When Yamazi said ‘we’ she really meant her. The tiny, neurotic, magician was wholly incapable of anything other than rudimentary physical tasks. Even human men could no doubt best her in combat. The only reason she even had a husband was because of the surplus brought back by the raiders. No, even if Yamazi was a bit strange in her mannerisms and lacking in stature, she was talented at channeling the will of the ancestors. And the most zealous of all amazons about the tribes rituals and traditions. It was wrong to think so poorly of the woman for doing her job. 

The chieftain knelt down to inspect the tracks. How strange. No doubt that these tracks were made by a spellcaster. The runes carved into the print were too precise to be made by anything but magic. Horizontal lines covered the track, and four distinct runes occupied the center, underlined by a curved line. The same symbol was present in the other shoe. 

“Indeed, there has been a trespasser.” said Madari. “What do you think we should do about them?” 

The seeress looked up at her and leaned on her staff. “We must find them! Catch them! Make them pay!”

Madari groaned, hearing the last thing she wanted to hear. She had hoped Yamazi would just whip out some censer and burn some leaves and be done with it, but she was dead set on tracking down this sorcerer. Magic casters were a pain to deal with. Even a wounded mage could wipe out an entire party of amazons with a well-placed spell. Standing and dusting her hands she turned to her subordinate.

“Can we just get the consecration? We can not start the Great Hunt without it. Perhaps we can appease the ancestors some other way, or postpone tracking them unt-“

“No time! No time! They will be gone by then! Our justice must be swift! How am I to bless the tribe when the ancestors have been defiled!?” said Yamazi. Passionate golden eyes looked up at Madari.

“Alright, but you’re coming with us." grumbled Madari.

Yamazi shrank back, obviously not expecting to be called into action. “M-me?”

Madari nodded. “Indeed. Look at the runes in these tracks. The trespasser is obviously not without magic of her own.”

Yamazi’s face broke into a grin far to smug for someone of her position and stature “Well, when you put it that way, of course I shall accompany you. How could I not when my sisters would be in such peril without me?”

A tight-lipped glare shattered Yamazi’s brief moment of self-superiority, and she quickly squirmed and looked at the ground. 

“I suppose I could ask the ancestors for the blessing as well for hunting the defiler…” the shaman mumbled.

“Thank you, Yamazi,” Madari said dryly. “We will proceed with the Great Hunt, capturing the perpetrator en route to a human village. Go and prepare yourself for the journey. I will tell the tribe of our plans.”

The shaman gave a small bow. “Very wise my chief. I will bestow the blessing when the raiders are prepared.” 

With that, the ball of rags and trinkets shuffled off through the undergrowth, leaving only Madari and the footprints. She looked down at the prints again. Who and what exactly made them? Why had they bathed in the sacred pool? How could they craft such perfect runes? Even the size of both shoes were exactly the same. So many unanswered questions. She followed the tracks with her eyes, west into the brush. What was she getting the tribe into?

~~~~~

Water time. Dragging your thin frame out from beneath the clump of roots, you stretched your cramped limbs. The idea of having something to drink had made it impossible to sleep. Now that the sun was barely over the horizon, and the first rays of sun were breaking through the canopy, you were eager to find the river or stream you had heard last night. With the sun at your back you continued west into the jungle. 

It took a bit longer than you thought, but eventually you reached the source of the noise. A wide river became visible through the trees. It seemed to be calm, there were no rapids or jagged rocks as far as you could see. Nothing interrupted the slow current of muddy liquid as it moved through the jungle. 

The color made you hesitate. Was this safe to drink? Is mud going to make me sick? Is this even mud? You were pretty sure now that you were on earth. The land gave you a feeling of unease, but this alien landscape must have been earth. You squat down beside a small inlet formed in the river bank and begin scoop water into your mouth. A bit of dirt won’t kill you, but dehydration certainly would. Better to risk an upset stomach. As the water entered your stomach, you could practically feel your cramped muscles ease. All you had had to drink during your adventure was what little dew you could find on leaves or tiny pools formed in wood or rock. Less than a glass a day. Now hydrated, you look around you. Only leaves and sticks within your immediate vicinity. During the night you had the idea of making some sort of water bottle, but leaves and twigs could not hold liquid. Looking down the river, you could see that there was a bend about a half mile down. Turning to look up river, you sprang to your feet so quickly you slipped on the mud and fell into the shallows. Raising yourself out of the water, you stare in disbelief at your fortune: a bridge! A crude, rickety, wooden bridge, but something someone would have to make! Staggering back onto the shore, you begin to move as fast as you can towards the structure. 

There was no way that you were going to take your eye off the only sign of civilization that you had seen in days. If this was a mirage, you weren’t going to let it disappear. In about ten minutes, you had reached the foot of the bridge. Up-close, you could see that this was not the kind of bridge you had imagined when you first laid eyes on it. It was more of a pontoon bridge, consisting of logs lashed together with vines. On top of the logs were crude platforms where the bridge would have been too thin. There were no hand rails to speak of. The bridge swung out in the middle, the logs farthest from the shore drawn further down the river turning the bridge into a bow shape. Whatever tribe built this clearly had no building code. The real question was, should you even cross it?  
You look behind you into the jungle. A bridge just means that people cross here. You may have already passed their village. You look back across the river. No, the chances that you would miss an entire village of people were slim. You hadn’t seen any smoke, heard any sounds of civilization, or encountered anyone yet. Chances are that the people were across the river. Crossing the river was a risk you would have to take. 

With a tentative step, you plant your foot on the first wet log. As you shift your weight onto it, your sneakers immediately slide off and send you into the river. Fortunately, the slow current and knee-deep water make it easy to crawl back onto the bank. Alright, looks like this has to be done the hard way. Getting onto all fours, you begin to shimmy and crawl along the slick wood.

~~~~~

Before Madari stood all the women of the village who were of age. Her own daughter looked up at her mother with the cool confidence that Madari expected from her successor. The sun was low in the sky, the orange of dawn only now being chased away by the light of day. Yamazi finished her incantation and blessing, pouring the last bit of water out of the sacred ewer. The shaman stepped back from the raised platform allowing the chieftess the center of the speaking platform.

“Sisters!” Madari's voice boomed out over the crowd. “Today we begin the Great Hunt!”

A roar of approval rang out. The raiders shouted and stamped their feet, shaking their weapons.

“But! This Hunt will be special. For we have been trespassed against by an interloper.”

A hushed murmur rolled through the crowd. Heads turned to whisper to one another.

“Indeed, someone has bathed in the pool of the ancestors.”

A gasp emanated from the group of women.

“This, as you know, cannot stand! One of the caveats of the blessing this time is that we must use it to capture the trespasser as well as men for the village.”

The raiders looked up at you with the cold determination that Madari had come to expect from them. If she were not giving such an important speech, she would be beaming with pride. These truly were the best warriors in all the tribes. 

“It will not be an easy task; the interloper is suspected of being a magician.”

Several amazons shifted nervously, a few making eye contact with friends in the crowd. Casters were difficult prey for even experienced raiders. The tribe had claimed a few male mages before. Most were physically weak, but tended to give daughters that were gifted at channeling the ancestors. They were coveted prizes.

“Fear not!” Madari cried, doing her best to assuage the worries of her tribe. “With us will come Yamazi. She is the most gifted channeler in the village. We have nothing, and no one to fear!” 

Another cry went up as the crowd held their weapons aloft. Yamazi stepped beside the chieftess, basking in the admiration and praise of her usual tormentors.

Madari held her spear high and pointed it west, away from the rising sun. 

“To me sisters! For glory, riches, men, and revenge!”

Launching herself off the stage, Madari lead the stampede through the underbrush and into the wild.


	2. Chapter 2

Arsofina was a proud elven huntress and frontierswoman. Currently, she were setting the last of her snares for the day. To get the best meat and furs, one had to leave the safety of the villages and their surroundings and venture out where no elf or monster roamed. The Akarondi river, which was an unofficial but universally acknowledged border between elf and amazon territories, was the perfect place to set snares. Plenty of game came to the river to drink and feed on the lush plants and plentiful insects on its banks.

Using the last of her cordage to craft a larger snare, she baited the trap with some fruit. Stretching, Arsofina look to the sky to see how much daylight she have left. By the look of it, about four hours of daylight remain, plenty of time to set up a comfy camp and have a nice meal. Tomorrow she would clear the snares, and head home. Wandering west, away from the traps she had set, Arsofina began to look for a suitable place to camp.

~~~~~

We last left our hero as he was making his way across a VERY POORLY CONSTRUCTED and SHODDILY CRAFTED bridge. It took you the better part of an hour to crawl across the wet logs to reach the opposite shore. Though the logs near the shore were securely anchored, some of the logs in the middle of the bridge were more loosely attached to each other. As you began to put weight on the first of such logs it had begun to roll under you. The rest of the trip was hesitantly testing the next link in the bridge, and scrambling across it on all fours if it rolled. The real problem was when there were multiple of such logs in a row. But you finally made it to the other side, cursing whoever made the structure.

Standing up and doing your best to scrape some of the mud off your torso, you look deeper into the jungle. No sign of anyone. There was also an absence of tools or fishing equipment near this side of the bridge. By now it was a bit later than noon, the sun still shining amidst the few wispy clouds in the sky. Parting your cracked lips, you utter the first words since arriving here.

“Hello?”

The call was much weaker than you intended. But even the act of yelling was draining to you in this state. The only thing keeping you going was your goal to find civilization. This was do or die. A shudder wracked your body. The gravity of the situation was really beginning to sink in. No matter how bad the situation was, how much you hurt, how hungry or thirsty you got, no one was going to come for you. There was no ‘giving up’ in this situation. The only thing to do was to press on. Pushing onward, you part the underbrush and enter the cool shade of the jungle once more.

~~~~~~

Madari bent to inspect the tracks of the fool who had defiled the Pool of the Ancestors. With her were her raiders, amongst them Madari's daughter and high-priestess. By right, Madari led the party in tracking the interloper, but this was a bit embarrassing. Whoever made the tracks obviously had no forestry skill at all. Their path wove all across the jungle, taking inefficient routs over obstacles and needless trips through hazards and rough terrain. The signs of their passing were easy to see. Clear prints, ruffled leaf litter, trampled plants... Even if it had rained, an infant amazon could have tracked the culprit. The interloper was also moving at a snail’s pace. Already the raiding party had passed a small crevice formed by a rock and some branches where they had taken shelter. At least they would be caught in no time.

“Mother, look.”

Snapped from her frustrated musings, Madari turn towards her daughter Shaezara crouching next to a large rock to your right. She was Madari's pride and joy, big even by amazon standards, probably going to be as big as the chieftess herself some day. Shaezara was always cool and collected, and while Madari sometimes wondered if she had the zeal and charisma to lead the tribe, her fighting and hunting skills were second to only you. Indeed, she would no doubt surpass her mother before long. Squatting next to her, the chieftess inspect what she had found.

“Stool, about three or four days old.”

“Yes, looks about right. Tell me daughter, what else can you tell from this?”

Madari's daughter paused for a moment, carefully extracting all the useful information she could from this clue.

“Well, the size and consistency appear to indicate dehydration and lack of food. Whoever… made this… had not had anything to eat or drink for some time.”

Madari nodded approvingly. Now for the finisher.

“So, we now know that they have been moving slowly and clumsily through the forest. They take refuge in the mud rather than find a dry place or building a shelter. And now we know that they are slowly dying of thirst and hunger. What can you tell us about this interloper now?" Madari asked.

“They must not know the terrain,” Shaezara replied. “We passed plenty of edible plants and roots, but none of them had so much of a bite taken out of them. Water collects in plenty of places in the forest, but the interloper appears to have not utilized any of them. Even children can build a shelter, but this interloper lacks the intelligence to do even that. But the most important detail is the path they are taking. The trail makes no deviations to any landmark and does not follow a straight line. Without a doubt, this idiot is lost.”

Madari couldn't help but grin when she see the other raiders mummer in approval at her daughter’s astute assessment of the situation. But there was always room for improvement.

“Very good. I too would wager that this magician is lost. However, there is a critical fallacy with your deduction: this person is a mage. They may be an outlander, but there is little chance they are dullard. Ignorant of the ways of the jungle perhaps, but we are ignorant of the ways of the outlanders magics.”

Madari's lecture was interrupted as Yamazi loudly cleared her throat. She turned to glare at her and Yamazi decided that the charms on her staff needed readjustment.

“Shaezara my daughter, you must never underestimate your foe. Beyond the realm of trees and brush is their domain. Magicians are stronger than a single amazon could ever hope to be. Strength is strength, and it does not always manifest in a strong back or keen eyes.”

Yamazi seemed to take offence to the first half of the statement, but eagerly nodded and looked around for conformation at the last bit.

“I understand. It will not happen again mother.” Said Shaezara.

“You do me proud Shaezara. Never forget that.”

Madari put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. Her usually expressionless face breaks into a smile as well and she gave a small nod.

Turning back to the trail, Madari give a sharp whistle and start off after their quarry again.

~~~~~~

You had to be the hungriest human in the whole damn jungle. There really was nothing substantial to eat here. You had done your best to eat any insects you had come across, but you had yet to eat any vegetation. It was too great of a risk to just start eating berries or digging up roots with no idea of what they may be. Your body was at its limits and you could barely raise your feet enough to walk. Every step left a trench in the leaflitter all the way down to the moist soil below. The sun had begun to set and the last rays of light were almost blinding as you marched towards your only point of reference.

Could this be the end? You had been able to keep moving for so long because you had believed that there must be someone looking for you, or some settlement just ahead. But even after you had found a man-made structure, there were still no people in sight. Just because they left the bridge doesn’t mean that the people who built it were still around. Was it even worth it to keep fighting like this? Were you just prolonging the inevitable? You had tried harder than you ever had before. Perhaps death was now the most noble and sensible thing to do. You had certainly earned it.

Parting the brush in front of you, you spy a pile of fruit.

FUCK THAT. Death can take his faggy scythe and shove it up his boney ass. Scrambling on all fours you pounce on the fruit.  
Your mouth waters as you bring the alien plant to your face. It looks like a peach, but pink and lustrous. Giving an experimental sniff, you find that it is fragrant and inviting. Somehow you know this is food. It has to be. Be it some strange magic in this afterlife or your brain’s primal center instructing you on what to eat, this thing in your hands is certified good eatins’. Opening your parched mouth, you take a huge bite of the fruit.

It’s everything you thought it would be and more. It may be the starvation, but you could honestly say that this one bit of fruit in your mouth was the best thing you had ever tasted. The inside of the fruit was white, and mind-blowingly sweet. You were surprised at the texture though, which was more starchy than you would have guessed. You can almost feel your strength begin to return. Quickly swallowing, you finish the rest of the fruit in a few bites and move on to the next.

As you lift the next fruit, you feel something tighten around your leg. Without warning, you are yanked back, and left with your right leg hanging from a small tree and your back in the mud. A snare! Shit! But that meant people! Cool! You were saved! Someone would come check the trap, and then you were home free!

But… it was almost night. You had never spent the night in the open like this. More importantly, the tight snare on your leg was starting to hurt. You try to reach up and free yourself, but your emaciated body isn’t up to such a feat. Twisting your head, you can see the rest of the fruit pile lying frustratingly close. You could now see the stick that held the snare peeking out from the side of the pile. The sun disappears over the horizon leaving you in darkness. The only thing you could do now is wait.

As you began to try to settle yourself in a comfortable position, or any position that let your leg circulate blood, you feel a sharp pain in your stomach. With a moan you clench your stomach and squirm. Maybe that fruit was poisonous after all. The pain intensifies and sweat starts to break out on your brow. It feels like you’re getting a bad virus. You feel hot and your abdominals are on fire and spasming out of control. With a groan you twist your head to the side as the telltale feeling of illness wells up in your stomach.

With a wretch, you spit up the first round of vomit. Gasping and moaning, you heave again. And again. Any strength you had gained was gone now. You felt weaker than ever. You knew that you were dehydrated as well after losing so much fluid. As if you weren’t before. Exhausted, you pass out, never expecting to wake up again.

~~~~~

Time to check the traps. Rising out of her hammock with the first rays of dawn, Arsofina broke camp and headed out into the forest. As she moved silently through the underbrush, the first birdcalls found her ears. Lazy slow notes calling their family to rise and live another day.

The first few snares were successful, and she collected the rabbits and game birds without any hassle. The fishing line she set had been tripped, but the fish was long gone with her bait. The first large game snare Arsofina had set was empty. As she parted the underbrush and entered the small clearing in the bushes where she had set the next snare, Arsofina dropped her bow. What the fuck was this.

Clearly it was human. That was the only thing that made sense. Humans are dumb and clumsy so it was no big surprise that one was dumb enough to take the bait and get stuck. That was the only thing that was obvious about this situation. Since his shirt was pulled down by gravity, bunched up around his neck, Arsofina could tell that her captive was male. That’s a problem. Disgusting savage is probably brimming with demonic energy. Well, was. She weren’t sure yet if he was alive. It was easy to see that he was starving, and his limbs were coated in blisters and pealing skin from too much time in the sun. The color of his skin was a mystery as well. She had never seen a human so pale. From what she had heard, they were not nearly this fair skinned. He must hail from a faraway land, for Arsofina had never seen such strange clothes either. His shirt appeared to be a single piece of fabric with sleeves that did not extend past the bicep. His light brown pants only reached up to his knee, which was still being suspended by the snare. On his feet were crusty socks, with shoes the likes of which she had never seen. They appeared to be made of material other than leather, what it was Arsofina could not say. Every inch of him was caked in mud and grime, especially his head and shoulders which were laying in the mud. Beside him was a pile of dark vomit, indicating that he was already on deaths door when he stumbled into the trap. No one could cough up that much blood and live. How long had he been out here? Arsofina got a sickening suspicion that what she were looking at may not be someone who got lost, but a prisoner who escaped.

Skirting the clearing, she found the footprints and scuffs in the dirt where he had entered the gap in the brush. Coming from the east. That confirms it. Poor bastard was probably trying to escape his “wife.” No surprise since amazons were even more crude and vile than humans. Even before the taint spread across the realm they had been a thorn in the side of all elven kind. This man probably got sick of being raped and tried to make it to elven territory. Strange. As an amazon incubus, Arsofina thought he would be a bit tougher than this. Moving to the small tree that suspended his leg in the air, she release the knot and let his legs fall to the ground.

As his feet hit the dark earth, a small moan caused Arsofina to jump back and draw her knife. Oh shit, he’s alive. Trotting over to his head, she saw his lips move ever so slightly. She hadn’t noticed before, but his chest was moving, contracting in short ragged breaths at infrequent intervals. His eyes were still closed, still unconscious. Squatting down, she leaned in towards his face.

Bile was caked on the side of his face and mouth where he had thrown up. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t look quite like the bloody bile you had thought it to be. It was even darker, an almost tar-like substance. Arsofina had a bad feeling about it. Not just because it was vomit either. Carefully prodding his cheek with the back of her knife, she try to rouse him.

“Hey, come on, get up.”

Okay, that may not have been the best thing to say. Clearly he was incapable of getting up, or he wouldn’t be caught in a trap. He might not speak elven either, probably only understands Common and that guttural amazon speak. Switching to her best Common, Arsofina prodded him again.

“Get up.”

His head was pushed to the side as you poked it, rolling into the pile of vomit. Eww. With a sigh Arsofina accept the fact that he was not going to make it without her help. Taking her water skin from her waist, Arsofina did her best to pour some water into his mouth. Most of it ended up running down his chin, but his lips eventually let out a sputter and cough. Without opening his eyes, his mouth begins to open and close a bit, eagerly drinking your meager offering. With a groan, his eyes slowly open. By the Gods, what was he?

He had blue eyes! That didn’t seem right at all. From what Arsofina had heard about humans and the few times she had interacted with them, she knew that blue was not an eye color that they were supposed to have. That color was exclusive to monsters! Was he an incubus after all? Moving to his belt, which she couldn’t help notice was very ornate and well made, Arsofina quickly undid the buckle and pulled down his pants.

Nope. Defiantly not an incubus.

With a heavy blush, she redid his clothing and refocused her attention to his head. Though his eyes were open, he didn’t seem to be completely lucid yet. His head swayed back and forth, and his face wore a confused and vacant look. As Arsofina entered his view, he paused only briefly looking through her before his head rocked back to the other side.

“Hey. Can. You. Understand. Me.”

Arsofina punctuated each word with a gesture. His eyes roamed back in the opposite direction and focused on the elf again. This time he stared at her, and his expression seemed to change a bit. He moaned and closed his eyes once more. Taking her water skin, Arsofina began to pour more water onto his lips. His mouth opened and drank all it could before letting out a wet cough. Fuck, he probably needed food too. Taking a few berries she had foraged earlier, Arsofina dropped them into his mouth. Normally she would have the decency place them into his mouth, but there was no way she was going to touch someone potentially tainted with demonic energy, much less one covered in vomit and dirt.

He almost choked as the first berry made it into his mouth, but as his teeth broke the fruit. His jaw began to work a bit faster. Arsofina continued the process, dropping one berry at a time. It was actually kind of entertaining. Taking a handful of berries, she dropped a dozen or so into his mouth at once.

With a great heave, his body coughed and sputtered as the unanticipated berry barrage blocked his airway. A few half-chewed barriers flew past Arsofina's head, but in the end he managed to finish chewing about half of them.

For a few moments he sat there, panting. Raising his right arm, he brought it over his face and rested his eyes in the crook of his elbow. As his breathing returned to normal, or, normal for his state, he removed his arm and looked at the elf again. His cracked lips parted and he murmured something to her.

{please help me…}

What the hell was that. Arsofina wasn't sure if it was because he spoke so softly or he had an accent, but she couldn’t understand a word he said. Maybe he wasn’t speaking Common.

“Can. You. Speak. Common.” said Arsofina slowly.

He stared at her.

{please help me.}

Arsofina still couldn’t understand what he was saying, but the look on his face told her more than words ever could. It was a pathetic pleading face on a broken man. She imagined he would be crying if his body had the water to spare. She stood up and turn around. Fuck. This was not good. She REALLY shouldn’t mess with this guy. He was probably claimed by amazons, he was human, and he would be a huge hassle to help. He couldn’t even speak her language! Behind her, he spoke again, this time louder than a whisper.

{Please help me.}

No, no, no… Please don’t make this harder than it has to be. It shouldn’t be hard at all. He was a lesser species, he was already doomed to be amazon bait, and Arsofina didn’t have the time or resources to care for him and risk being turned. A choked sob escaped his lips, causing her to flinch.

{Please help me!}

He began to softly cry, and thrash in the dirt. Even with all his limbs free, he still only succeeded in rolling back in forth. Arsofina clenched her fists and tried to steel her resolve. He was like an infant in a crib. Damnit. With a heavy sigh, she turned around and returned to the broken human.

His tantrum subsided as he saw her return. His contorted face broke into a small smile. Arsofina's look of disgust wiped it off. Even if she couldn’t leave him for dead, she was still revolted by him. At least he seemed to understand that he should be ashamed of himself. More than could be said about most humans.

Arsofina looked to the sky again and saw the sun had just passed its highest point. She had already emptied most of her traps, but she would miss out on collecting some of the big-game snares she had set if she tended to the human. This endeavor was getting more costly by the minute. Oh well, she could always enslave him when this was all said and done, and set him to work for the rest of his short, miserable life. It would be nice to have a steady source of extra income. Or sell him to one of the more palatable monster trader passing by the city. He looked like an uncommon specimen. Arsofina surmised that she could probably get a nice bit of cash or goods for him. Heck, she could even combine the two plans and sell him when he got a bit older. This was just an investment, not a loss. Grinning, Arsofina began to tend to his wounds as she daydreamed about what she could do with the extra money.

~~~~~

Madari was getting close now. Every day the amazons covered twice the ground the interloper had covered. There was no chance that they could escape the tribe. But… there was a complication. Madari was beginning to suspect that the prey you chased was not a “her” at all. Be it instinct or the enhanced scent that the Gift brought, she was growing more and more certain that they were chasing a man. The others could sense it too. Through out the few days the tribe had been on the move, there had been less and less chatter. Now even at camp there was little conversation. Every amazon was hoping that they were the only one to notice the clues, but knowing that the others knew as well. This was troubling. If the male really was a magician, there was bound to be infighting in the group over who would claim him. But you were beginning to have doubts about his magical talent as well. If he truly could channel the will of his ancestors, why was he still walking around in the jungle? Why was he growing weaker and slower when he could be using magic to collect food and water? Sleeping in dirt rather than conjuring shelter? So many unanswered questions.

“Ara, finally come crawling back hmm? Come here and I’ll take care of…”

Lost in thought, Madari found herself face to face with a very surprised alraune. Her eyes grow wide in shock as the rest of the war party surrounded the helpless plant-girl.

“You’ll do what?” asked Madari.

The flower-girl shrunk back into her flower, looking at the ground and cowering beneath the massive woman.

“N-no, I… I uh just thought you were… someone else…” said the alraune.

Madari closed in on the alarune, forcing her to crane her neck back.

“And just who, pray tell, were you expecting to see out here in the middle of these woods?”

“Oh! N-no one really, just uh… the… the bees! You know, they love… nectar…”

The alraune trailed off as Madari glared down at her. Grabbing her by the throat, Madari wrenched her up, pulling the plant-girl's body out of the flower up to the waist. Bringing her face inches from her own, Madari unsheathed her knife and held it against the alarune's cheek.

“DO NOT TOY WITH ME, WEED. I know that a man passed through here not long ago. Tell me or I will have my warriors dig you up and rip your petals off!”

The alraune began to wail and sob.

“Plea-ea-eas! Please don’t kill me! There was a man who came through here but he left and I don’t know where he went so I thought he might come back and I was so lonely and-“

“SHUT UP!” Madari cut off her blubbering with a shake. She began to whimper and cry, desperately holding her eyes shut and her head turned away from the chieftess.

“How long ago was he here?” asked Madari.

“A-about two days ago.” sputtered the alarune through hiccupping breaths.

“What did he look like, was he a sorcerer?”

“I didn’t get a good look at him. He screamed and ran off as soon as I said hello. He didn’t look like what I’d imagine most humans look like… I don’t think he was a mage, he didn’t seem to be capable of using magic.” she said.

Madari released the poor plant and let her retreat into her flower. Two days… that meant that she was probably only a day, maybe less, away from this poor bastard. He was moving more and more slowly with each passing day, covering less and less ground. It wouldn’t be long now. With a whistle and a wave, the amazons were on the move again.


	3. Chapter 3

Your eyes slowly opened. The only source of light were a few smoldering embers, the remains of a small fire that had burnt out not long ago. It was clear that day had long since passed, as the darkness was absolute. You looked up. Where were you? How did you get here? Did you die again?

Suddenly the events of yesterday, (you think it was yesterday), flooded your memory. The snare, the pain, the strange park ranger who had saved your life. You had thought that it was a mirage! With considerable effort, you raised your head to look around. There was no one else to be seen. The campfire was the only thing that confirmed that your mind was not deceiving you. Unless… Reaching out, you poke at one of the burnt logs.

Fuck that was hot! Your hand shoots back as you shake your hand in a futile attempt to cool it off. The piece of wood shifted and fell, throwing embers up into the sky. It was a real fire alright. But where was the person who had made it? If you recall, she was dressed like some sort of cosplaying weirdo. She didn’t seem like she could speak English either. She probably left to go get help. You would have liked it if she had propped you up on something instead of leaving you lying in the dirt. At least you had finally eaten something that was more than a tic-tac’s worth of calories.

You smiled. You were going to live! Pushing yourself up, you scoot over to a nearby tree and recline against the roots. You hoped she brought more food and water when she came back. If she came back. Ideally, she would bring an entire rescue team. The thought of people mad you think; were you really dead? This place seemed less and less like the afterlife every day. Was it possible that you were still on earth? Of course it was. Earth was the only place this could be. You would be home again in no time.

~~~~~~

Hammer. Tongs. Iron. The smell of slag and burning metal. The forge. Your son enters. He will inherit your practice, your pride. Your family around a table. Anvil. Furnace. You’re your son tending the forge. He raises a horseshoe out of slack tub. Flawless. Death.

With a start, you awaken. That was by far the most vivid dream you had ever had. Like you lived someone else’s entire life in the span of moments. Even more bizarre was that the dream was completely linear, with no strange occurrences. It felt less like a dream and more like a memory. A sharp poke in your side directed your attention up to the cosplayer poking you with the tip of her bow. She had a scowl on her face that made it hard to look her in the eye. You had probably ruined a vacation for her.

{It’s about damn time you woke up! What the hell is wrong with you, spending all hours of the night rustling around, only to sleep through the morning! I hardly slept because of all the noise!}

You had no idea what language she was speaking. Clearly she was upset with you though.

“Uhhh… sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Do you speak English?”

The woman looked at you incredulously. You tried again.

“English? Habla Inglés? Anglican?"

She stared at you. With an exaggerated sigh, she tossed something into your lap and trotted away. It was jerky! Wolfing down the morsel of meat, you watch your savior deftly jump into the low branches of a nearby tree and begin undoing the straps of a small hammock. So that’s where she’d been. You were relieved that she had decided to stay with you. Who knows what may have become of you if you had been left alone. Surely now you would be taken to the nearest town or lodge or whatever bastion of civilization. With nothing left to do, you patiently wait for your guide to finish breaking camp.

~~~~~

Arsofina now faced quite the predicament: how to get a bumbling (possibly albino?) human back to town in decent time. She was frustrated that he just sat there while she packed her things, but decided that it was probably best if he just kept his grubby human hands off of her things. When the last of the supplies were packed up, she trotted over to inspect the human.

He was certainly starved, but the fact that he was able to move and talk were good signs. It looked as if the berries and cured meat she had given him was the only food he had eaten in days. His clothes were tattered and dirty, caked with layers of mud that had accumulated from sleeping in the dirt like the animal he was. His limbs were covered in scrapes and scratches, and there was a deep cut all the way around his leg where your snare had caught him. She had already disinfected the cut, but the smaller wounds would have to wait. Thankfully, his footwear seemed to be in good enough condition to keep. The seems were beginning to come undone, but they would probably be enough to make it back to Oreath. Once he was there, all she had to do was line up a buyer. The pressing matter now was how fast he could move.

Arsofina walked a few steps into the underbrush and looked back at the human. In common, she commanded him to come.

Like a dog, he paused for a second, attempting to process what she said, and then began to trot after her. Though he walked with a slight limp, his shambling speed was better than what the elf had anticipated. That said, he was still painfully slow. When he had almost reached her, she moved farther into the woods, and again encouraged him in common to come.

This time he moved without hesitation, walking after her with a dumb grin on his face. Arsofina couldn’t really find any fault in his child-like joy. She was probably the first sentient thing he had encountered all week. She smiled in spite of herself as he caught up to her again. It really was like watching a child.

The duo moved on, Arsofina moving ahead and waiting while the human hurried after her.

~~~~~

Man, having a guide really sped things up. This chick with the Spock ears really knew how to move through this place. You had never really paid much attention to the jungle, but now you could see that she was methodically avoiding the terrain and plants that would otherwise hinder you. Even though you were not moving in a straight line, you were still covering more ground than you would have by blindly barreling ahead. She would move to a point just within your view, and you would follow her path.

As the day wore on, it grew more apparent that her patience with your slow progress was wearing thin. Whenever you reached her, she would sigh, or make a disgusted scoff. At least she would hand you some more meat or berries now and then. At one point she had offered you more of the pink fruit she had used to bait the trap, but you refused. Well, you just kind of dropped it when she gave it too you. After doing your best to pantomime that the fruit made you throw up, she seemed a bit surprised, but not angry. You really were lucky to be found by someone who cared about you this much.

{Pick up the pace round-ears. I know your kind doesn’t live that long and I want to get out of the forest before you need a cane.}

There she goes talking to you again. You have no idea what she’s saying, but from her tone it sounds vaguely encouraging. You smile up at her as she perches on a low branch, before she turns her back on you and moves on.

~~~~~~~~~~

Madari stared at the bridge that crossed the Akarondi river. The sun was disappearing behind the trees, and her troop was busy stoking campfires and finding the best places to sleep. She paid them no mind. She was more concerned with what the river suggested.

Elves. Whoever they were chasing had clearly attempted to cross the bridge. That meant that they were now in elven territory, though exactly how far they had gotten remained to be seen. There was an equal, or even greater chance that the fool had simply fallen into the river and perished. She clenched her fists at the thought. If the raiders had come this far out of their way, he should at least have the decency not to disappoint them. Shaezara appeared at her side, looking out over the river.

“He’s probably dead, mother.” she said.

Madari said nothing. That didn’t seem right. It felt wrong to assume that the interloper had perished. Not in a conventional sense, she just felt that this entire situation was too strange to end with something as mundane as drowning.

“No… he is out there. I can feel it.” said Madari. She turned to face her daughter, who seemed a bit surprised at her remark.

“We will need to move quickly once we are in elven territory. There is no pact against crossing the river, but it is a pact that does not need to be made. Ironic, to capture this trespasser we must trespass ourselves.” said Madari

Shaezara nodded, turning back to look over the river, which had turned a brilliant orange in the dying light.

“If he still draws breath, we will find him.”

They stood and watched as the river shifted from orange to a pale shimmering white under a gibbous moon. Silently, they turned in unison and joined their compatriots around the fires.

~~~~~~~

Arsofina gently rocked in her hammock. Two days. That’s all it would take to get to Oreath, the outpost she hunted and traded out of. She was worried that it would take a few more days, but the human had impressed her with his tenacity. She could tell that he was trying hard to keep up with her, even as he panted, wheezed, and stumbled after her. She peered over the lip of the hammock. The human was silently sleeping below her, in a little bed made of shredded greenery and twigs. It occurred to her that she didn’t even know his name. She should really learn what to call him. Sure he may learn to respond to ‘slave’ or ‘pet’ but who knows how long it would take to condition him.

Arsofina rolled back over and looked at the waxing moon rise higher into the sky. She could hear the humans soft breathing emanating from beneath her, and the gentle rustling of leaves as he rolled over. He certainly was an exception to what humans normally were. She had only had the displeasure of meeting a handful of them, but all of them had been pompous buffoons who couldn’t understand their place. This one seemed… almost like the antithesis of what humans were. He was eager to please, unquestioning, (though it did take some time to mime instructions to him), and thankful for the food she gave him even though the morsels were hardly better than table scraps. This was less like a man and more like a dog.

Arsofina sighed and shifted a bit. The fact that the human was so innocent made the idea of selling him harder. Could she really hawk him off to be raped into submission by some tentacled abomination? Maybe it was better to just keep him around and rent him out as labor. She was certain that he could make a good pack mule. An image of her leaping through the forest while he followed, laden with the furs and meats of her hunt crossed her mind. Even in her fantasy, he still wore the same goofy grin that had become a permanent feature on his face since he had met her. It was beyond her why he was so happy with her company, the pair had exchanged less than fifty words so far. Arsofina would gesture to something, and the human would do his best to figure out what she meant.

It was probably because he was alone for so long. Arsofina brought her hands up behind her head and meshed her fingers together. Who knows how long he was out here before she had found him? Maybe he was just grateful to be rescued. Maybe he only enjoyed your company because you gave him food and water. She had deliberately avoided conversation with him tonight, using him to collect firewood and then collect some berries nearby. When he had returned, the meat had been cooked and eaten and she was already in her hammock. She had left his skewer propped up against a log. She could hear him quietly eating the meat, (the chewiest, fattiest cuts of course), below her, punctuated by what she assumed was a mouthful of berries. She was worried when he was moving about beneath her hammock, but she had continued to feign sleep. Peering over the edge of her hammock again, she looked around to see just what it was he had done.  
Hanging from a small branch below the head of the hammock hung a small pouch that she had loaned the man. Reaching down, she grabbed it and inspected its contents. Wild berries, her share of what the human had collected. Even in his sorry state he was willing to give her half of his spoils.

He really wasn’t making this easy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You awake atop your impromptu bed and stretch out across the ground. Your friend was standing over you, nudging your ribs with her foot.

{Alright, that’s enough sleep, human lives are too short to spend all day in bed.}

She seemed a bit different today. The grimace that appeared on her face when she looked at you was replaced by a look of minor contempt. You stared into her amber eyes (must be contacts or something) as she looked down at you. Her brow furrowed, and she pursed her lips. She broke her gaze and looked away from you off into the jungle.

{Listen, human, do you have a name?}

Strange, the tone she used implied a question. It wasn’t the tone she had been using when she wanted you to do something or move somewhere. Still, you have no idea what she was saying.

“Huh?” you say as you tilt your head to the side.

The woman claps a hand over her forehead and mutters under her breath. After a brief bit of contemplation, she takes a deep breath and places her hand over her chest.

{Me. Ahr-So-Fee-Nah. Yoouuuuuu. are…}

She pointed at you with one hand while keeping one hand clasped over her chest. Her face was a fiercely expectant stare. Oh! Wow, you didn’t know her name yet! What with all the food, water and hiking, you had completely forgotten your manners!

“Anon.” you say placing your hand over your heart.

The woman’s eyes go wide.

{Ah-none} she says, feeling out how to say it.

“Non” you correct.

The look you receive for your correction tells you that you should just let her say your name however she wants as long as it’s close enough. You point at her.

“Arsofina”

The woman perks up a bit, and a hint of a grin appears on her face. Cutie. You hadn’t really noticed how gorgeous she was before now. Easily a 10/10. Way out of your league. What the hell was she doing way out here? The woman clears her throat and straightens up.

{Well Ae-non, we need to hurry up and get back to Oreath so I can get paid.}

She turned and began to make her way through the underbrush.

“I’m right behind you, Arsofina.” you say.

She pauses for a second and sighs, before heading off into the jungle with you jogging to catch up to her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Madari stood over the remains of the snare. Around the base of the sapling the dirt was disheveled and upturned, clearly where the interloper had ben trapped. The other amazons searched for clues or milled about at the edge of the gap. Shaezara inspected the sapling where the rope had been tied. Small patches of blood caked the young tree, the smears suggesting that the trespasser had been thrashing for some time before he was released. Licking her finger, Shaezara rubbed off a bit of the dried blood and sniffed.

The strength of the scent caused her to cough and pull her hand away from her face. Spirits of old, he reeked of spirit energy!

“Mother! This blood is too strong! Something is wrong about all this!”

Madari walked over to the tree. It was troubling to see her daughter so distraught. She had raised her herself, and it would take something more than blood to worry Shaezara. Madari scraped a bit of blood off and gave it a cautious sniff.

It certainly was strong. The smell reminded her of when she had inhaled the fumes of the liquor when she was a child at one of the tribal gatherings. It burned her nose and made her eyes water. She shook her head and wiped the flakes of blood off on the tree.

“It seems the more we learn about this stranger the less we can figure out.” said Madari.

Yamazi, (who was quite haggard after spending so much time away from the comforts of her shaman’s hut), knelt down over a pile of sludge near the edge of the churned dirt. Reaching out with her hand, she shuddered as it passed over the pile.

“Chief, this vomit, it is full of the Gift.” said the shaman.

“Oh? I had suspected that our quarry had begun to eat dirt.” said Madari

“No,” said Yamazi, “This man somehow purged the Gift form his gullet. How that could be done, I do not know.”

The crowd of amazons murmured Amongst themselves.

“Can he be turned?”

“Not if he rejects the gift.”

“How could he preform such a feat?”

“This is an ill omen.”

“We should not pursue such a creature any longer…”

“Enough!” Madari roared. The troop instantly fell silent. “I know that this interloper is… strange… but that is no reason to fear him. Yes, I say him, there is no longer any point in avoiding the word, we all know that we are tracking man. I care not what the signs say, anyone who disgraces the ancestors will be punished! We WILL find this man and he WILL be brought into our fold. His queer magics are no match for the might of the tribe!”

The amazons nodded and voiced their agreement. They had never met a man they could not break. Their prey was close, and even though it appeared he was now being escorted by a damned elf, just made the proposition of catching him that much sweeter.


	4. Chapter 4

Arsofina looked behind her. The human she had been escorting through the forest for the past few days trotted along after her. Thanks to all the footpaths leading to the outpost, the man’s pace had greatly increased. He was also beginning to look a bit less gaunt and haggard, and his waist and face were beginning to return to their full shape. Still, he was caked in muck and slime, and his clothes would not last much longer. And his wounds needed tending; more than the basic first aid you had been giving him. The path in front of her widened, and a tunnel through the brush could now easily be seen. Even the human could tell that they were close. 

{Hey! This means we’re close right? This trail? Are we near some sort of ranger station or something?} 

His chattering meant nothing to her. It had become apparent that he spoke not a word of common, or any other language she had heard of. It was a strange language that alternated between nasally highs and throaty lows. Up and down, up and down. Perhaps his people spoke in a specific rhythm. 

“People. Soon.” 

She pointed at herself and him and then gestured to the sun, and a lower into the sky. The human gave a broad grin, and even increased his pace a bit. Odd, his teeth appeared to be pristine. At a glance, they all appeared to be in perfect order, no jutting out or crossing over could be seen. Such a thing was common among incubi, but normal human teeth seldom came in so perfectly. Was taking him to Oreath safe? She paused as he caught up with her. His alien blue eyes stared up at her, full of anticipation. No. This man was no monster. Even if he did turn out to be dangerous, a village full of elves was more than a match for a human who couldn’t even survive in the forest. 

Arsofina grinned down at the helpless human, and strode off down the widening trail.

~~~~~~~~~~

Civilization! At long last, you could see signs of human occupation! After following the ranger lady for days through the forest, the deer trails had given way to well-trod dirt paths, and now an actual settlement! 

A great break in the forest sprawled before you. All around, trees had been cut to the stump to clear space and build the small fortress ahead. Like the forts of yore, tree trunks were lashed together to form a wall around some structures that peeked over the sharpened tips. Curiously, the trees inside the wall had not been cut down; instead, they had been turned into a network of treehouses. You could see ropes and bridges crisscrossing above the town, forming an elaborate skyway. 

And people! For the first time since your arrival in this maybe afterlife, you saw more than one person. Tiny figures moved about the walkways or along the walls as a crowd bustled around the main gate. As you drew near, you could see many carried sacks or handcarts laden with everything from animal hides to timber. Something was seriously wrong though.

The closer you got to the main gate, more and more people stopped what they were doing to stare in your direction. Eyes fell upon you, and soon the busy front gate was silent and still. Inside, figures began to congregate to see what had brought their commerce to a halt. They were probably just worried about you, right? You looked to your guide. She seemed tense. You now noticed that her pace had slowed, and her hands were nervously fidgeting with her cloak. A guard atop the wall gave a shout and was soon joined by a dozen other figures. When you were about a hundred feet from the crowd at the gate, the captain, (they must be the captain right?) gave another shout, causing your escort to jump and halt. 

Oh god, what WAS this place? Now that you were close enough, you could see that everyone in the crowd was dressed in a similar manner as your guide. They all had those long ears as well. Was this some kind of elaborate, extended larping session? The gender ratio seemed to be a bit skewed as well. Way more women than men. And why the FUCK were they all so pretty?! (no homo)

~~~~~~~

“Arsofina, what in the name of the GODS is that?”

Arsofina looked at the ground, unable to meet the cold gaze of the guard captain. Captain Stellora was understandably upset, but Arsofina was certain that she could be convinced. 

“I, uh… found him near the Akarondi, near the bridge. He was… hurt and-“

“And you brought it HERE?” Stellora completed the thought for her.

Arsofina winced at the accusatory tone. 

“He was going to die! And besides, there’s something different about him! He’s not like any human I’ve ever seen before! He-“

“SILENCE!” shouted Stellora. “Those filthy creatures carry the taint, and you STILL bring one straight to our home! Dispose of it at once!” commanded the captain.

“No!” shouted Arsofina. Stellora’s eyes widened at Arsofinas retort. The desperation in her voice surprised even herself. “He isn’t an incubus, I… I don’t even know if he’s human! But he’s harmless! Look, you can quarantine him, or inspect him or... whatever it is to assure yourselves, but he can’t even survive in the forest on his own!”

Stellora glared down at her. How dare this trapper instruct HER on what to allow into HER stead. This shall not stand.

“Guards. Arsofina has already succumb to the corruption. Kill her, and the mongrel as well.” Stellora commanded. 

The other guards exchanged worried glances. A few nervously knocked their arrows, but none of them readied to fire. 

“Captain Stellora, is that really wise? I do not believe that Arsofina has been corrupted… perhaps we can…” the guards protest was cut off by Stellora’s stare. 

The captain strode over to the elf and grabbed her by the throat. The guard let out a yelp as the Stellora tightened her grip and brought their faces together. 

“You listen and you listen well, you treacherous harlot. I have protected this hamlet for YEARS without incident. Oreath has been safe until now because guards have followed MY orders. I will not allow this town to fall because IDIOTS like you take pity on lesser creatures! If you don’t shoot that vermin THIS INSTANT, I’ll throw you off this wall and you can die with them. Understand?” Stellora released the elf, who fell to her knees gasping. 

The rest of the guards readied their bows and took aim at the now shaking elf and very confused human standing in the main road. 

{WAAAAIIIIIITTTTTT!!!}

~~~~~~~

Oh fuck! Why were they yelling at your guide?! Why was that lady strangling that guard?! WHY WERE THEY POINTING BOWS AT YOU?! Moving in front of your pointy-eared escort, you throw out your hands in a protective gesture and scream. 

“WAAAAIIIIIITTTTTT!!!”

The entire crowd grows even more silent. No one had been speaking before, but your cry was followed by an even greater more profound silence than before. All eyes were now on you, wide with surprise. 

“Uhh… look, I don’t know what you’re saying, and I am TRULY SORRY if I did anything wrong, but there’s no need to shoot anyone! Especially not Arsofina, she didn’t do anything wrong! She helped me, but I got lost in the forest so if you really need to punish someone, punish me!”

You panted and waited as the town stared at you with wide eyes.

{What the FUCK did he just say?}

The silence was broken by a woman in the crowd. Could it be that your plea had been heard? Were they going to one by one put down their bows and accept you? Would the crowd speak out against this injustice and demand that you be allowed to live?

{I don’t know, I’ve never heard anything like that before…}

{Is it some sort of accent? Was that even common?}

{What an ugly language, what human region is that from?}

{Maybe he’s retarded…}

Yes! It was working! The seeds of dissent had been sewn! The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, eyeing you and whispering. You excitedly turn to your guide, who had buried her face in her hands. She must be grateful!

~~~~~~

"We are so dead.” thought Arsofina. The human’s outburst had surprised the village, but the general consensus still seemed to be ‘kill the human.’

“Arsofina, what did that thing just say?” asked Stellora. 

“I don’t know! He doesn’t speak common! Just look at him! I’m telling you, he isn’t like other humans! And I am NOT tainted! He hasn’t even touched me!” pleaded Arsofina.

She did have a point. Stellora had never seen a human quite so… pale. And blue eyes! That was unheard of. His clothes were in tatters, but it was clear to see that they were not garments native to this land. Pants that were obscenely loose and only hung down to the knee, and a shirt without buttons or seams that only had sleeves to the end of the biceps. What a weird looking critter. No matter, a human was a human. A shame Arsofina was beyond saving, she was a good huntress. 

“There can be no exceptions.” stated Stellora. “Archers! On my mark!” 

Stellora raised her hand.

“That is quite enough captain.”

The attention of the town shifted to the new voice. 

“Lady Irin!” Stellora gave a bow to the newcomer. 

Lady Irin had been the leader of Oreath before even Stellora had taken her post. Her white priestly garments billowed around her accentuating her curvy body, secured by a belt with a large topaz buckle above her wide hips. Though she was getting along in her years, time had spared her its ravages, turning her not into a withered husk but a matronly elder. Her flawless pale skin shimmered in the afternoon light, accentuated by her lustrous platinum blond hair. Accompanying her were two honor guard, who kept watch over the small temple at the heart of the village.

“Milady, I was just about to dispose of this filth. Arsofina has succumb to the taint, and now seeks to bring that bag of blight into our home!” said Stellora.

“My, my, he must be quite the opponent to call the entire garrison.” mused Irin. 

“He may not APPEAR to be a threat, but the curse is insidious and there can be no risks taken!” said Stellora.

“Mmm… but did I not hear our dear Arsofina claim that he was untouched by the taint?” said Irin.

“She can no longer speak for herself! She is TURNED milady. Her mind is gone, she now is a slave to her carnal desires.” said Stellora.

“Is that so.” Irin said. Moving through the clump of guards she approached the edge of the edge of the wall. “Arsofina, my dear, are you a ‘slave to your carnal desires?’” asked Irin.

“No, milady.” Arsofina called back.

“Ara, it seems you were all worked up for nothing captain. Our huntress seems to be quite lucid.” said Irin with a hint of a smug grin.

“Milady they are DANGEROUS. I understand that you do not wish to kill them, but they cannot be allowed into Oreath!” hissed Stellora.

“Oh? Are we all out of spare beds? I could have sworn that there were-“ 

“Milady I cannot allow this to stand. I REFUSE to allow that VERMIN even a step closer to the gate!” said Stellora.

Lady Irin’s demeanor immediately darkened. Her gentle half lidded eyes and motherly smile were replaced with a tight-lipped glare.   
“You forget your place, Stellora. You are captain by MY appointing, and while I am the one you are serving you will do what I say, when I say. That human down there is no threat, and Arosfina is of sound mind. We will permit them entry into Oreath, but under strict watch. If you cannot obey my wishes, I will find someone who can.” said Lady Irin in a cold and commanding tone. 

“Y-yes milady. Forgive me, I did not mean to speak out of turn.” Stellora’s head drooped in shame.

Lady Irin approached the dejected captain and placed her hands on her shoulders. 

“Raise your head, captain Stellora. Such a pitiful posture is unbecoming of a woman such as yourself.” The warm smile crept back onto Irin’s face. “I have watched over Oreath for decades, and I would sooner die than see it fall. Your unyielding vigilance is a boon unto us all, but your zeal must not be misguided. See how he moved to protect Arsofina from harm? Surely he has a good heart. The priestesses will inspect the human, and if it is not as Arsofina has claimed, then we will dispose of him. If he truly is free of the curse, we will allow him a brief time to recuperate and send him on his way.” said Irin.

Stellora raised her head and smiled at her superior. “As you command milady.”

Lady Irin turned to shout over the wall again. “Arsofina, my dear, we have much to discuss.”

~~~~~~~~~

Madari stared down at the path before her. This trail was frequented too often to be a mere game trail, or even a hunter’s regular rout. Such traffic was only seen around settlements. Things just got complicated. 

“Do you think they have reached a village yet chief?” said Yamazi.

“Without a doubt.” replied Madari. 

The troop of amazons crouched silently around their leader. Night had fallen not long ago and the jungle was alive with the calls of insects. 

“Then what are we to do?! We will never catch him at this point!” whined Yamazi. 

Madari stood and let out a long sigh. “No, elves are no friends of humans. Our scouts will go forth and confirm that the man is in the village, and if so, asses the settlement. We will demand him from the elves, and if they will not cede him, we will take him by force.”

Around her the other amazons shifted in excitement. Such battles were uncommon, but raiding an elven settlement meant more loot than they could carry. No men, but the goods plundered from such a raid meant the overall quality of life in the village would skyrocket. It was common knowledge that luxury items helped break men faster. They seemed to adjust better to being property when they had some amenities. Thus the common amazon sentiment: ‘always plan for a happy man.’

Madari was not as eager to test the mettle of the elves. If the human was holed up in anything more than a small outpost, it may be more than the troop could handle. They were fine warriors, but elves were a far greater threat than humans. Their numbers alone may be enough to wipe out the raiding party.

Madari shook her head. All this speculation was pointless without more information. 

“Scouts, forwards. The rest of us will make camp here and await your return. Take no longer than two days.” commanded the chieftess. 

A few amazons gave a nod and split off into the forest. The remaining women began to make camp, chatting and bantering about what loot they would take.

~~~~~~

You were going to live! Just when you had accepted your fate, the lady with the huge titties swooped in to save the day! Huzzah!  
Your guide also seemed thankful. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped around you. You looked up at the row of archers, and tentatively took a few steps after her. 

{Arsofina, could you have him wait there? I want the priests to inspect him first.}

It was the titty elf again. You didn’t know why they all looked like Legolas, but it was clear that they were going for the ‘elf’ look. You had to admit, as strange as it was, most of them were rockin’ it. 

Your guide turned to you and held out her hand in a ‘stop’ symbol. 

{Anon, stay.}

You had become familiar enough with her speech patterns to know that this was the ‘wait’ command. You stopped walking and watched as your escort began to chat with the woman in white. Apparently something you did was funny, because your abrupt halt caused some of the “elves” around you to snicker.

{At least he’s trained}

{Ha! Look at that! Arsofina went and found herself a hunting dog!}

You look around at the crowd which had begun to surround you and chatter excitedly. For the first time since you arrived in this alien land, you felt self-conscious about your appearance. You were covered in dirt, sap, and vomit. Your clothes were in tatters. You hadn’t seen your reflection in perhaps a week, but you knew your hair was a mess of knots and twigs. The antithesis of the neatly dressed and impeccably groomed men and women around you. 

{Uwahh, why is he so pale?}

{Maybe he’s an albino?}

{What region are those clothes from? I’ve never seen anything like it before…}

{Hey! Human can you really not speak common?}

{What’s with those eyes?}

{Arsofina is right, he doesn’t look like an incubus to me…}

You looked down at the dirt, feeling a bit ashamed. 

{Alright, alright, clear the way. This is now a matter for the temple.}

The crowd of elves parted for a procession of women dressed in similarly to the woman who had stopped your execution.

{Come with me human.}

Oh shit. She was talking to you. What should you do? What does she want? All you can do is stare at her and tilt your head to the side.  
The elf looked at you expectantly, and gave a frustrated sigh. 

{Arsofina, how do you get him to move?}

Arsofina turns from her conversation with what you assume to be the town mayor.

{Anon, come.} Arsofina says.

Ah ha! You know what that meant. You walk forwards and follow the small band of women. Maybe their doctors? It was clear that you were to follow them. As you pass your friend, you look back, and briefly make eye contact, before the crowd obstructs your view.  
The town was larger than you had expected, by virtue of the fact that it sprawled up just as much as it did out. The wall was in the shape of an oval, with the central plaza you were in serving as some sort of market. All round you were stalls and shops with their goods on display, most abandoned as their proprietors and customers were now busy watching you. Above the ground level was construction such as you had never seen before. Giant branches and roots sprawled up and around each other, forming a network of roads and houses. You could see that there were even structures made by warping branches together to form knots in some of the larger trees. How did they do that? Some of these structures looked like they defied gravity. Were these people… real elves…? Was this really... not earth?

Ahead of you, at the back of the wall farthest from the front gate, a gargantuan tree with a small entrance loomed over you. The tree itself was not as tall as the others, but it was at least fifty feet thick in diameter. Maybe more. The branches sprawled out in a circle, much farther than other trees you had seen here. Some of the longer branches were ten feet thick. There were several holes in the trunk, and you could see the gentle light of fire emanating from the door and what you supposed were windows. A large relief was carved above the door, showing a motherly woman with outstretched arms. Madonna. Was this a Christian church?

You stared at the carving as you passed through the door. Inside was a cavernous chamber, lit with candles. Rows of chairs faced towards a central alter, a basin of stone with a similar relief of the woman above the door. You approached the alter out of curiosity. The basin was full of water. Holy water?

Your speculation was cut short as the doors slammed shut behind you. Much to your chagrin, you noticed that they were now being guarded by some of the archers who had almost shot you. The woman who had lead the procession gave you a disdainful glare. 

{Now human, we see what kind of corruption you harbor.}

You didn’t like where this was going.


	5. Chapter 5

The, what you assumed to be, head priestess approached you, flanked by two additional priests. You back peddled until you bumped into the fountain, nearly tripping over the basin. 

“Uhh… listen, I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t want to hurt any of you, but like hell I’m gonna be sacrificed or something. Got it?” you said.

The head priestess didn’t even hesitate at your bluff. It’s not like you could even hurt them. You were still skin and bones from your extended stay in the jungle, and all the cuts, sunburns and dehydration rendered you helpless. As the priestess neared you, something incredible happened.

Her hands seem to glow, manifesting as an amber halo that surrounded her hands. Your eyes widened, and your mouth hung open. What the hell WAS that?! Some kind of fancy hidden led lights? She gestured to you, raising her right hand up and pointing her palm towards you. Suddenly, your hands shot up without your command, wrists pressing together. It was as if you had been bound by an invisible rope. The involuntary motion of your arms causes you to yelp and thrash. With all your might, you tug downwards in a futile attempt to free your arms. Looking up, you can see your hands enveloped in the same halo that surrounded the priestess’s hands. 

Magic. Not some slight-of-hand or clever misdirection, real, authentic magic. The revelation hits you like a truck. This is magic. That means that this IS NOT earth. You really DID die. This really IS the afterlife. These really ARE elves. Each realization begat another. The gravity of the situation was enough to bring you to your knees. 

{There, that’s a good human. Continue to obey and I will see that your end is swift.}

You didn’t even register her words. You were dead. You would never see anyone you knew and loved again. They would never see YOU again. Your parents… your family… your friends… Tears welled in your eyes as you imagined their faces at your funeral. Their lives would now be forever burdened by your passing. What a weight to be placed upon them. Tears welled in your eyes as you think about how you never even had the chance to say goodbye to your parents. That you loved them. 

The priestesses moved past you towards a large stone bench behind the fountain. The magical binds on your hands pulled you along behind her, forcing you to stagger after her. If this was the afterlife, what would happen if you died again? Could you die again? You were not keen of finding out. The priestess took a position behind the stone slab and continued to drag you towards her. Planting your feet, your desperately tried to pull away from the, what you assume to be, magic dragging you towards your captor.

With a frustrated huff, the head priestess barks an order to the acolytes, who manifest similar halos of light around their hands. Your legs are dragged out from under you, and with a cry, you are lifted into the air. Hovering a few inches off the ground, the women levitate you onto the stone slab. One priestess hovers over your face, and another stands at your feet. The head priestess is at your side, raising her hands up to whatever deity or deities she answers to. With a flourish, the priestesses move their hands in an elaborate pattern, causing your limbs to shoot out to the corners of the slab. Spread eagle, you could only panic and pant from exhaustion and fear as the head priestess began to rant in her alien language.

{Oh Chief God, who has watched over us for eons past, merciful mistress of all life, benevolent mother to all that is good and holy, we bring a demon into your temple. Upon your alter lies a man rife with blight and sin. We beg of thee, suffer not this abomination. By your wish, we will smite this foul creature, and cleanse this sacred place of his presence. Lend us your righteous might! In your name, I CAST OUT THIS DEMON!}

A blinding light erupts from her hands. You turn your head and let out a scream as what must be some sort of death ray washes over you. But your fiery demise never comes. Instead, it feels like a warm breeze running over you. You keep your eyes shut and your mouth clenched until the feeling subsides, and tentatively crack one eye to see if you still had a torso. 

The priestess above you, at your head is looking down at you with a surprised look on her face. Lifting your chin, you can see that the priestess at your feet has a similar expression of disbelief. The head priestess on the other hand, she looks pissed. Her teeth are bared in contempt, and her eyes are wide and wild with anger. With a wave of her hands, you began to choke.

{What trickery is this?! Damn you! What manner of foul sorcery have you conjured to resist the judgement of the Chief God?!} said the high priestess.

{Milady! Cease this violence! Perhaps… he is not tainted? We have forgone the examination at your order, but this man seems to be free of corruption!} said a priestess near your head.

The head priestesses angry shouting was cut short by an apparent objection by the priestess at your feet. Your throat was released and your head dropped painfully back onto the stone alter. She approached her subordinate who shrunk at her advance.

{He came from amazon territory, through miles of jungle, and managed to make his way here. How could that have happened hmm? How did he end up in the jungle in the first place? He HAS to be an incubus. There is no other explanation.} said the head priestess. 

The other priestess straightened herself. {He may just be lost! Look at him! Pale skin, blue eyes, strange clothes, an unknown language, we have never seen a human such as him! He may hail from a land unknown to us, but that alone is not enough to condemn him!} 

What the fuck was going on. The elves were having some sort of argument, but you couldn’t tell things were going in your favor or not. They may just be debating which sauce to marinate you in. Your mouth waters in spite of your predicament. You hoped that they would hurry up and get this over with so you could be dead or fed before you wasted away. You shifted a bit trying to find a more comfortable position on the slab. The elf at your head looked away from the fight the other two were having as you twisted in your luminous bonds. She didn’t look so frightening, just curious. You stared back at her. Her head cocked to either side as she examined your face, gently rolling your head a bit to either side with a wave of her hand. A bit of dirt breaking loose from your filthy face elicited a sneeze from you, causing all three elves to jump. 

The head priestess stamped her foot in frustration. {Enough! We will ask the Chief God for her guidance, and then I will kill him myself! Is this satisfactory to you, Monara?} said the high priestess.

{Yes, Milady…} said the priestess lowering her head.

The head priestess snapped her fingers and you could feel yourself lifted from the stone alter. The group moved towards the basin of water where the head priestess waited. Reaching into a fold of her dress, she produced an ornate knife. The hilt was gold from what you could tell, and in the shape of an angle, with the cross guard being formed by the wings. The blade was about eight inches long, and broad, made for slashing and not stabbing. At the sight of it, you began to thrash and struggle once more. They really were going to kill you.

{Ufufu… looks like your demon knows that his time is short Monara. Hold him well, I would HATE to slit his wrists.} said the head priestess.

As you approached the basin, your left arm shot out to hover over the water. You did your best to move your head about in your invisible restraints, desperate for anything that could prevent your untimely demise at the hands of what appeared to be an elven cult in the afterlife. You lock eyes with the elf who had apparently objected to your treatment, but she quickly looks away to avoid your gaze. The head priestess takes your hand and holds the knife to your palm. 

{Now let us see what evil you really house…} muttered the head priestess.

Drawing the knife across your palm, a thin stream of blood spurts out of your hand and into the basin. You scream as you feel the knife cut deep into your hand, opening it from index finger to pinky. The head priestess releases your hand, which instantly flies back to its position above your head. You grit your teeth as the contact with the air sends waves of pain down your arm. The warm blood from your palm oozes down your arm, drying along your wrist and on your side. 

{Make sure that the beast’s blood doesn’t stain the floor, it would never come out.} said the head priestess. She was clearly enjoying your suffering.

Bending over the basin, the head priestess began to murmur an incantation while moving her hands in circles over the water. Taking a pinch of what looked like incense from a hidden pouch, she sprinkled the powder into the bowl. The water began to ripple as if a stone had been dropped into it, and a faint glow began to appear. The light became brighter and brighter, a white light tinted with a very faint blue, like moonlight on a lake. A chorus of gasps sounded from the elves. Even you forgot your pain as you watched the spectacle unfold. This place really was magic.

{N…no. That cannot be… there must be something wrong! Even we have more taint than this!} said the high priestess

{It is as I suspected Milady! This human is not natural! He is otherworldly there is no doubt, but the Chief God has rendered her judgement that he is pure! More pure than us! Perhaps the Gods themselves sent him to us as a savior!} said the elf on your left.

{IMPOSSIBLE!! I WILL TOLERATE THIS DECEIVER NO LONGER!} screamed the high priestess.

With a screech she lunged at you with the ceremonial knife. Just before the weapon entered your chest, it halted in mid-air, surrounded by the glow that bound your limbs. You felt your left arm drop as the elf on your left moved her hands to focus on the your attacker. The high priestess glared at her with clenched teeth, and with another cry turned the knife towards her. The other priests dropped your limbs, causing you to fall unceremoniously in a heap at the foot of the basin. The high priestess was suspended in a similar manner to yourself by the other priests, who were now shouting incoherently at each other. Half of them were levitating the high priestess, and the other were restraining the elf who had saved you in a similar manner. Both sides were shouting at each other, though some appeared angry while others were just trying to resolve the conflict. The guards who were protecting the entrance hurried over to the scrum and drew their batons. More guards poured in through the entrance and the fight was broken apart. The priests were herded into two groups, the majority with the head priestess and the rest surrounding the kindly good elf. 

{YOU ARE DAMNED, MONARA!! DAMNED! I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS HERESY!} shouted the high priestess.

You were more or less forgotten in the chaos. Apparently angry mages took priority over a starved sacrifice. It wasn’t until you let out a moan that one of the guards took notice of you and hauled you up by your tattered collar. You tried to stand but only stumbled and staggered forwards towards the stone slab. The guard merely pushed you towards it, and you collapsed against it in a heap. The church doors opened again and the leader of the elves appeared in all her glory, flanked by two elite guards.

{WHAT IN THE NAME OF OUR LADY IS GOING ON IN HERE?!} said the queen, princess, elf pope, or whatever she was. 

All eyes in the church swiveled to avoid her piercing gaze. All except the high priestess. 

{Lies, Milady! Deceit! Treachery! Subterfuge! Heresy! This VERMIN disgraces the name of the Chief God by hiding from Her judgment! I asked Her for the power to destroy him, and she did not answer. I asked her to show those who doubted his evil what darkness lay within his soul! Look to the basin! None are so untouched by the corruption! He subverts the will of the very heavens to accomplish his insidious tasks!} said the high priestess. She looked like she was ready to blow a blood vessel. Not surprising, since she did just try to kill you. 

The queen stared at her for a moment before striding over to the bowl. Even in your disheveled state you were awestruck by the grace she moved with. It was as if her she weighed nothing, each footfall making no noise, and leaving no footprint. A phantom moving through the world, leaving all she passed untouched and pristine. The basin still glowed faintly, though it was far from the blinding incandescence it had been when the high priestess had first added the incense.

The queen stared at the basin for what felt like an eternity. Her eyes flitted up, and you made eye contact with her as you lay panting at the foot of the alter. Her expression was unreadable. She turned towards the high priestess, and then to the elf who had saved you. 

{Monara, you have been silent about this matter. Though from what I have heard, it was you who had the passion to save this human’s life and defy your superiors. What say you?} said the queen.

The priestess gulped and moved to the front of the throng. {Milady, we asked the Chief God to render judgement upon him, and it was! She has deemed him pure, who are we to question the will of the heavens? I witnessed the rituals with my own eyes and saw no indication of trickery, and Lady Salvica preformed the rites without error. This man may be a human, but he is untainted!} said the furtive holy woman.

The elf queen stared pensively at the young priestess, before turning back to the basin. Reaching out a hand, she swirled the water, causing the glow to become brighter for a few seconds. 

{Hmm… your protests ring hollow Salvica. I have known you long enough to know that you would not have made an error in such an important ritual. If the Chief God has deemed him worthy, then it is not our place to question. The only thing tainted here is your perception of humanity. Do not let your hate rule you.} said the queen. 

The high priestess looked like she was about to burst. Her face was crimson, and her teeth were grating back and forth. Shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath, she unclenched her fists and let out a sigh. The color drained from her face and she took a deep bow.   
{Yes, Milady.} said the head priestess

The queen grinned. 

{Very good. Is there anyone else who would like to challenge this ruling?} She looked around. The church was silent. {So be it. This man is not to be harmed from now on. He will be our guest until he is fit to leave, and then he will be sent off. Humans may be a lesser species, but that does not mean that they are undeserving of mercy. As elves, it is our duty to look after the lesser races.} said the queen. {For now, he will reside in one of the vacant rooms near the apothecary. Guards will accompany him at all times to ensure that he does not betray our hospitality. Now then, guards, you are dismissed.}

The horde of guards began to funnel out the door, and the small group of priests followed soon after. The queen strode around the basin to where you lay, sitting up against the sacrificial slab. 

{Come, human. My pride as an elf cannot stand to see a guest in such a pitiful state.} she said presenting an immaculate hand to you.   
You tentatively reach up and gingerly take it. She lifts you effortlessly to your feet, steadying you as you stagger. 

{Guards, could you assist him to his quarters? And make sure to bring him something to eat. I doubt Arsofina has fed him more than table scraps over these last few days.} said the queen.

Two guards rushed over to assist you, taking an arm a piece, and began escorting (carrying) you to your next destination. Where could they be taking you now? Another torture chamber? A mass grave? A hot tub? The fear of what was to come grasped your mind as you were dragged through the main square of the tiny town. Once again, the crowd gawked at your passing, though now they only whispered as you were dragged past. The guards appeared to be taking you towards a small tree, this one engraved with a faceless angel holding a strip of cloth. A strange smell wafted out from the doorway, it smelled like mushrooms, berries and a bit of alcohol all mixed together. A thin breezeway connected the tree to a two-story wooden building that stretched farther than most of the other buildings. The guards moved past the entrance of the fragrant building, taking you into the bland building instead. 

Inside smelled of blood and wounds. Oh God. Was this some sort of jail? Passing by one of the rooms, you could see and elf sprawled out on a bed, sleeping peacefully. Not a jail. The rooms were decently sized, and the ones you could see into looked well furnished and lit. Curious luminescent spheres protruded form the walls, providing light by means unknown. An elf in a dark grey cloak that concealed her entire body stepped out from a room at the end of the hall near the stairs, and gently closed the door behind her. Turning towards you and your entourage, she let out a gasp of excitement and shuffles over to you.

{Ahh! Yes! The anomaly! Good, good!} The strange elf reached out and grasped either side of your head, tilting it back and forth as she examined you. You let out a whimper as she touched the bruise on the back of your head. 

{Mmm… yes, he is strange indeed. I have prepared a room for him at the end of the hall. At lady Irin’s request, food and water has already been delivered to his quarters. After he eats, I will see to it that he bathes and receives some clothing. Hmm… I wonder what fibers these are made out of?} said the elf as she picked at the remains of your shirt.

The cloaked elf made you uncomfortable. Not just because she was friends with the people who had tried to kill you twice in the same day, she had a more predatory aura. The other elves looked at you with hate, she looked at you with an unabashed curiosity that sent chills down your spine. You attempt to twist away, but the guards hold you steady. 

{Ahh, no matter. I’m getting ahead of myself. Take him away, I will see to its needs after he eats.} said the cloaked elf.

The guards lurched forwards, dragging you to the doorway of the room at the far end of the hall. They unceremoniously released your arms and gave you a gentle shove through the door, closing it behind you. Turning, you hear the sound of wood against wood from the other side of the door. You give the doorknob, which appears to be a knot of wood a twist, but it doesn’t budge. You were locked in.

Panic begins to set in, but the smell of food brings you back to your senses. On the small table lay a platter piled high with all sorts of fruits, meats and vegetables. Beside it sat a pitcher of water. The sight of a substantial meal is enough to make you leap, and you trip over your own feet as you lunge towards the feast. 

It takes you only fifteen minutes to fill your belly. Whether that was from your stomach atrophy or the rate at which you ate, you didn’t really care. The pitcher of water was almost empty as well. With a sigh, you recline back in the chair and close your eyes. So much had happened since you had arrived here. What should you do now? It seems that the, (well, they must be elves right?) the “elves” had decided that you were not so bad after all. They were also the only source of food and water you knew of. It would be certain death to run, and they could certainly just retrieve you if they chose to. 

But the hate you felt from the crowd was not something that you could overlook either. The way some of them stared at you, the way they whispered or jeered at you as you passed… Was it really safe to stay here? One of these elves had already tried to stab you. It was a gamble, stay here and risk being murdered, or leave and attempt to find human civilization. 

If there were humans. You open your eyes and stare out the window. A lattice of vines allowed light in, but you already knew that defenestration was out of the question. Were there any other humans in this strange land? It was obvious that you were a novelty to the elves. Was that because humans were rare, or because you were the ONLY human in this alien land. You sighed and shuffled over to the bed. It seemed wrong to ruin such a pristine piece of furniture with the filth you had accrued, so you just settle for laying down on the quilt. What was this place anyways? The longer you stayed here, the less it felt like any sort of afterlife. To exciting for purgatory, to painful to be heaven, but not torturous enough to be hell. Were you even dead? If magic did exist in this world, perhaps the answer to your sudden arrival could be less divine in nature than you had suspected. 

As you lay on the bed trying to wrap your head around this predicament, you don’t even feel yourself falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

“Arsofina dear, we need to have a chat about the human you brought.” said Lady Irin. She sat behind a large wooden desk that was formed by the same enchanted wood the rest of the tree was made of. On it were several small piles of papers, an inkwell and a cup of quills. There was nothing out of place on the perfectly organized desk. 

Arsofina sat across from Irin in one of the two chairs that sat in front of the desk. She fidgeted nervously at Irin’s demand. However, there was no avoiding this conversation.  
“What about it?” asked Arsofina.

Irin leaned back in her chair and looked past Arsofina out the window that formed the opposite wall. From this vantage point, one could see the entire town of Oreath. The main plaza was directly below, then the short main road that led to the gate and the wilderness beyond. 

“I think that it was kind of you to take pity on him, but there is something… strange about him.” said Irin. “An unclaimed man appears out of amazon territory, with no knowledge of common, or any other nearby regional dialect. His clothes are like nothing we have seen before, and his skin and eyes are the wrong color. As if that wasn’t enough, he lacks ANY taint. It’s as if he just appeared.” Irin turned to Arsofina. “Something is seriously wrong.”

Arsofina shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“That is true Milady, we do not have any knowledge of his past, but I do not believe that he warrants as much suspicion as he garners.” said Arsofina.

“And why is that?” said Irin

“He is not malicious. I am certain of that. He made no attempt to harm me at any point. It goes against what we know of humans, but even when he was on the brink of starvation, he never attacked me for my food, or made to threaten me.” said Arsofina. She remembered the pouch of berries he had left her one night. “I can see it in his eyes, he was so grateful and happy just to have someone to accompany. He may be a dullard, but he has a childlike innocence that I cannot ignore.”

Irin grinned. “You sound quite fond of him.”

Arsofina blushed and looked away “NO! I don’t like him, I… I just don’t think he deserves to be treated this way. He isn’t like the other humans, I am positive.”

“What will you do after he recovers?” asked Irin.

“I was planning to use him as labor, or… sell him…” Arsofina trailed off, her plans sounding quite harsh all of a sudden.   
“Mmm, so even though you think him to be a good person, his rescue is still just business.” said Irin.

“Well, maybe I’ll let him go. After he makes up for all the money I lost saving him. And besides, we have yet to find out where he hails from.” said Arsofina.

Irin lifted a piece of paper from the top of a pile and began looking it over. 

“I have already made a special request of the archivists to assist you in finding his people. If he really does belong to a tribe of undiscovered humans, I would be eager to learn about them. Their magics must be strong if they are not corrupted. I only pray that they are all as amiable as this one.” said Irin as she passed the page to Arsofina. It was a brief note saying that no one in the archives of Oreath had heard of such a tribe. They went on to list several possible places the human may be from, but asked that he be made available for questioning, and that his “handler” accompany him. 

“Does this mean they want me to come too?” asked Arsofina.

“Yes. You have the most experience with him, and he seems to trust you. I find it quite endearing actually, the way he follows you around. He certainly doesn’t seem trust the rest of us, after we threatened his life twice.” said Irin.

“As you wish Milady. I will accompany him.” Arsofina rose from the chair and gave a short bow. 

“That is good, as it has already been decided that you will be responsible for him while he is out guest.” said Irin. 

“W-what?” stammered Arsofina.

“He likes you, you like him, and you brought him here. I already spoke to high priestess Salvica and guard captain Stellora. We agree that if the human is a docile and clumsy as you say, he should be no trouble to control.”

“What exactly am I to do? Am I responsible for feeding and housing him? Or am I merely his handler?”

“He is already being housed in the medical ward. You will not be responsible for feeding and sheltering him; all we ask is that you keep him out of trouble and under control. You should go see him now, the archivists will be along shortly.” said Irin. 

“Yes, Lady Irin.” said Arsofina. She gave a short bow and rose from her chair, before exiting the spacious office. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arsofina hurried quickly across the central plaza, crossing through the throng of shoppers and mercahants as she made her way to the medical complex. The complex itself was small, but well stocked to treat the often grievous wounds incurred on the frontier. An apothecaries lab was attached to the actual ward, so that any remedy could be easily made and delivered to the patient. Arsofina had always disliked the look of the structure, and hated the stench it gave off even more. The putrid odor of death and the sterile and equally lifeless smell of antiseptic and harsh chemicals. Entering the laboratory, she asked the attendant about the whereabouts of her charge. 

“He is in the last room on the right, first floor. The archivists are already there.” said the attendant in an uninterested tone.

Arsofina thanked him and hurried off through the breeze way into the care building. As she entered, a flustered archivist burst out of the door, her robes ruffled and her cap resting crooked on her head. Her long brown hair was brushed to the side and blocking her eyes.

“Are you the owner?” she asked brushing a lock of hair to the side.

“Er, yes? I have been charged with the humans well being an-“ Arsofina was cut off as the archivist seized her hand and began dragging her down the hall.

“It’s about time you arrived. We’ve been trying to run experiments on it all morning and it’s becoming belligerent! I thought you said it was trained!” fumed the scribe.

Arsofina tore her hand away from the bookish elf. “He is very easy going. Just what kind of ‘experiments’ are you running?” asked Arsofina.

The duo arrived at the room at the end of the hall, peering inside. The human was being restrained by a very angry scribe while another was doing his best to make an incision with a surgical knife. The human was having none of it, and was thrashing wildly in his ethereal restraints. The only piece of furniture that was still standing was a chair that had been pushed into the center of the room. The other chair and the table were knocked to the ground, and the bed sheets had been ripped off and thrown into a heap on the floor. The rug was wrinkled and folded, covered in specks of food, dirty dishes, and several fruits. A puddle was formed near the foot of the bed where a pitcher had been over turned. Arsofina stared at the scene.

“What in the God’s names have you been doing to him?” said Arsofia.

“Like I said,” replied the scribe, “we just wanted to do some blood tests, collect a sample of his hair and clothing, maybe a bit of skin, and ask him some questions, but he became irate when we tried to hold him down.”

“I don’t suppose you ASKED him, did you?” said Arsofina dryly. 

“He can’t even speak. I heard that he didn’t speak Common, but NONE of the archivists can figure out what he’s saying. What were we supposed to do?”

Arsofina sighed. That everyone in Oreath was relying on her to communicate with the human when she herself could not understand his speech was already wearing her patience thin. 

“Just let him go. I don’t think he’s ever seen elves before, and he isn’t fond of us since we tried to kill him… twice.” 

The elf restraining Anon released her magical grasp and he wrenched free of his binds. As the woman moved out from behind him, the human scurried up against the wall to take stock of this new development. 

“Anon? It’s me. Hi. Are you alright?” asked Arsofina. 

The human may not have understood what she was saying, but he certainly associated Arsofina’s arrival with salvation. Already his shallow breathing was giving way to more relaxed, deep breaths.

Arsofina picked her way across the room and offered an outstretched hand to the man. 

“Come here, it’s alright. Just sit on the bed here ok?” she said patting the bed. 

The human’s gaze flitted between the archivists and Arsofina, clearly doubting whether stepping away from the wall was worth the risk of more ‘experimentation.’

Arsofina patted the bed again and the human caved to her suggestion. Slowly he sat down on the bed and stared expectantly at Arsofina. 

“Alright,” said Arsofina turning to the archivists, “now don’t make any sudden movements, don’t try to have me leave, and don’t do anything to him that he doesn’t like. Collecting ‘samples’ will be easier if he actually trusts us.”

A chourus of grumbles arose from the trio of scholars but they reluctantly agreed to the terms. Arsofina sat beside Anon on the bed.  
“Anon, I need you to behave. Follow.” said Arsofina. 

The human began to fidget as the archivists drew near, note paper and quills in hand. 

{"Safe?"}

The elves froze in their tracks as the human uttered a single word.

“Do you know what that means?” asked an archivist?

“Uhh… yes, he asks it when he wants to know about something. Whenever he found a plant in the jungle, he would ask that. I guess it is an inquiry about the danger of something.” said Arsofina.

The archivists scribbled madly and began to whisper and conjecture amongst themselves. Arsofina took the opportunity to reassure the human.

“Yes, Anon. 'Sayvv'” she said with a disarming grin.

Anon relaxed, and Arsofina gestured the archivists forwards. At Arsofinas request, they settled for asking questions, as best they could, with Arsofina acting as a very poor translator. She only knew a handful of the human’s words, and even then had trouble remembering what they meant without certain context. None the less, the scholars seemed delighted that some progress was being made, and that they no longer had to forcefully restrain the human. The more questions that were asked, the more Anon seemed to relax. The scholars loved the information they were collecting, and Anon loved conversing with people beyond simple orders. 

After an hour or two of difficult conversation, it was decided that a break was in order, and the archivists shuffled out of the room for lunch, saying that they would return later.

~~~~~~

Maybe these elves weren’t so bad after all. Arsofina was no doubt your friend. She had saved you three times now, though two of those times she had saved you from other elves. The elves that had busted into your room and held you down seemed like good people after they put away the needles and knives. From what you could tell, they just wanted to learn more about you. Rightly so, you suppose. You were essentially an alien in this world. No one here knew anything about you. 

That brought up another point that had been bothering you. What was this world? Was it completely foreign to you? Or could this be a world that existed in the imagination of humans? For all you know, Sauron could be waiting in Mordor for you to bring the one ring to him. Chances are that this was not a world you would recognize. It was probably just a coincidence that these creatures resembled elves. And used magic. That bothered you the most. The magic and the appearance of these creatures was just too uncannily similar to the elves of fiction. Perhaps your mind was subconsciously guided to an afterlife with familiar aspects.

You looked across the table at Arsofina who had finished her meal of roots and vegetables and was staring out the window. She was absolutely stunning. So were the rest of them. Even the men were beautiful (no homo). Her ears wiggled a bit and she looked towards the door as the trio of dark robed elves reentered the room. They greeted Arsofina, and attempted to do the same to you. 

“Hay-low Ayy-none” said one of the women. 

“Avarine-dalay” you replied, giving your best attempt at their greeting. The elves beamed and began to chatter excitedly amongst themselves. Arsofina cleared her throat and the elves collected themselves.

{"Arsofina, do you know if he is literate?"} said the male elf.

{"I haven’t seen him write, but his clothing has runes in some places."} said Arsofina. 

The scientists cleared a space at the table and set down a piece of paper and an inkwell.

"Anon,{can you write?"} asked the female scholar with the brown hair while pantomiming a scribbling motion. 

You look at Arsofina. She stares at you expectantly, but when you take no action, she grabs the paper and writes a string of symbols. It looks almost like Asian logograms linked together like cursive. She points to the string of symbols and says “Arsofina.”

So this was a writing exercise.

You take the paper and a quill, and begin to write out your name. You had never used a quill before, but thankfully the elves had already prepared it. The scholars gasp as you make the first line, but as you tear through the paper their mood instantly dampens. Undeterred, you persevere through ink smudges, torn paper and a dry quill until you have an acceptable example of your name.

“Anon”. you say pointing to the letters.

The scholars write furiously in their tomes. 

{"Incredible, I’ve never seen any runes like those."}

{"Strange, why does his name have the same symbol twice?"}

{"Why is the first character so much bigger than the rest?"}

“Arsofina, {can you get him to write more?"}

{"More?"} said Arsofina.

Was that their word for ‘more?’ When you wanted more food, the had used a word that sounded quite similar to that. 

“Ehzone?” you said, doing your best to mimic the noise.

They froze, and then began to nod excitedly. {"Yes! Yes!} Ezone!" said the male elf.

These elves learned surprisingly fast. Taking up the quill again, you wrote out the word ‘more.’ 

“More.” you say. “Ehzone.”

Again there was a chorus of scribbling as the elves took notes. One snatched up the paper you had been writing on and began to point at it. The other elves looked curiously at it, and even Arsofina got up to inspect the paper.

{"See here, it’s the same rune! This circle in the third place of his name and the second place of more!"}

{"What does it represent?"}

{"Ask him."}

The elves broke their huddle and set the paper down in front of you. 

“Ayy-none, waht thise?” asked Arsofina.

A scholar drew a line connecting the ‘o’ in your name to the ‘o’ in more. 

“O” you reply.

The elves look at you blankly, waiting for you to continue. When you remain silent, they exchange confused glances.

“O?” said the female elf with the blond hair. 

“O.” you reply. “Oh, aw, oo,” This was going to be a problem. It seemed like elves used a logographic language instead of a phonetic language. It would be best to just give them a copy of the alphabet and try to explain it to them. Flipping the battered paper over, you begin writing out the alphabet. The elves watch you intently as you scratch out all twenty-six letters, upper case and lower case.  
When you finish, you present it to them, and they wordlessly accept it. 

{"What in the name of the Chief God is this?"}

{"Look! Some of these symbols match his writing! His language must be phonetic!"}

{"Phonetic? There hasn’t been a civilization that used phonetic languages for centuries. All civilizations just use Common."}

{"Well, let’s see if we can figure out why he wrote this. I doubt this is his entire language, I mean look, there are only… fifty-two symbols here. His words would have to be a hundred letters long to avoid words with the same spelling."}

The elves returned your paper once more and gestured to it.

“Waht thise?” asked the elf with the brown hair.

“Letters.” you replied.

Pointing to ‘a,’ you sound out all the sounds it could make. Then b, then c, down the list of letters. The elves were staring with mouths agape. Clearly this was a new concept to them.

{"It’s phonetic! It really is phonetic! Do you know what this means!? This type of language has been extinct for more than a millennium! And suddenly a human arrives in an outpost with a completely new language and no knowledge of Common!"}

{"Unbelievable! A new language, a new civilization! And WE are the ones who discovered it!"}

The elves seem quite excited about your language. While they chatter amongst themselves, you notice Arsofina quietly looking over your shoulder at the paper. Her eyes are full of curiosity. Taking the quill once more in you hand, you write out her name underneath the mess of letters and words you had scrawled. 

“Arsofina.” you say pointing at her name. 

She gives a little gasp and pulls it closer to her. She looks at her name, then you, then back to the paper, scrunching her brow in frustration. Swiveling the paper around and moving behind you, she points to the first letter. 

“Ah…” she begins with her index finger on the a.

With your index finger, you follow along, helping her sound out each letter in her name. Her eyes light up as she finishes, and she says something unintelligible to the other elves. One hands her a scrap of paper, and she quickly copies your sloppy handwriting. You peek over at it to see that she has written her name. Interestingly, her letters have a bit more curve and swirl to them, little tails coming off some of the letters. It must be a sort of muscle memory from her own writing, and accent in penmanship. You smile and nod, and she holds it up to the others beaming with pride. The female with the brown hair snatched it away for inspection and the four elves began to squabble amongst themselves. You couldn’t help but laugh at the silly display. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.

~~~~~~~~~

Madari looked out across the clearing at the elven village. The huge trees that formed the town’s structures were lit up by magic and fire, a hundred tiny flecks of light peeking out from windows and doorways. By now, the runner that had been dispatched to the tribe would have conveyed her message, and veterans would be on the way. The outpost was small, but more populace than Madari had originally thought. Her estimate was now about two hundred elves. The tribe would be more than enough for them. The extra hands also meant more loot could be carried back.

Already her scouts moved silently through around the city, searching for weakness. It was already known that most within the walls were noncombatants. There was a good chance that they would merely hand the human over. Madari half hoped that they would resist though. It had been ages since her tribe had been truly challenged. 

On the wall and elf appeared carrying a lantern and took the place of another. The two figures stood for a moment probably chatting, before one disappeared down a staircase and out of view. Madari looked to the stars and noted approximately when the change had taken place.   
Soon, the human would be theirs, along with whatever treasure could be carried back to the village.


	7. Chapter 7

Winter. It was a long, cold winter. You step out of the small home and leave the village where you had just spent your whole childhood. Across the tundra. To hunt. Like your grandfather had. Build a cabin, protect it with wards. A cabin for winter, for it is ALWAYS winter. Hunt. Kill. The pelts line your walls, bed, and pockets. Set the trap, place the bait. Your age slows you down. The snap of twigs, the feeling of eyes unseen watching you move. Move through the snow, something moves behind you. Winter never ends. Hunted. Killed. In the distance, spring.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You could feel the morning sun on your eyes even before you opened them. Outside, the call of strange and alien birds rang out. With a stretch, you propped yourself up in the bed and opened your eyes. The room was the same as it ever was, a small but adequately sized room with basic furnishings. Walking to the latticed window, you peered outside. 

The dozens of elves walked to and fro, going about their lives. It was impossible to make out much about the town from here, as you had neither the height nor the angle to see the entirety of the village. Moving to the door, you test the knob. Unlocked. It would seem the elves now trust you enough to allow you to roam the hallways. Or perhaps they were tired of having to let you out to use the bathroom all the time. 

You were starting to grow concerned with the dreams you had been having. Every night, without fail, you dreamt of a new life. Not just fragments, it was as if you were living a stranger’s entire life from birth till death in a single night. But it was never the same life, and the dream never took place in a setting you knew or with a cast you recognized. Was it the food? The change in the environment? Some sort of chemical in the water? Perhaps the elves would know. 

Stepping in to what you had learned to be the men’s room, you relive yourself in one of the stalls and wash your hands. How the plumbing here worked was a mystery to you. The toilets seemed to be simple outhouse style, but you could not see the bottom or smell any kind of stench. The faucets worked in a similar manner to the ones on earth, but without temperature controls. A single lever controlled the flow. Shaking your hands dry, you make your way back to your room. 

As you enter, one of the librarians looks up at you in surprise. The one with the dirty-blonde hair, who you knew as Lythris. She had just set down a tray of food for you on the table. 

“Ah! Hay-lou Ayy-none!” she greeted cheerfully.

“Averine-dalay, Lythris.” you say. 

She beams at your greeting.

It had been six days since you had arrived here, and you were already feeling stronger. With enough food and water, your scrawny form had begun to fill out once more. The elves had washed what was left of your clothes and returned them to you, but you noticed that a small scrap of cloth had been cut from each article, and the tags of your shirt had nearly been torn off. This did not surprise you, clearly these elves were naturally curious. The writing on the tag along with the washing instruction symbols must have kept them busy for hours.

Now, you wore a light, grey shirt, and forest green pants of the same fabric. It felt like cotton, and was soft and pleasant to the touch. It was obvious that they had been sun-dried, as they smelt faintly of sunlight. The elves had also issued you a pair of undergarments, and some heavy-duty socks. You hadn’t worn the socks yet, since you were still not permitted outside the building and walking around barefoot was much more comfortable.

You pull up a chair and begin to dig in to the bread. It was definitely not wheat, but whatever grain it came from was still filling and tasty. The elf watched you intently as you ate. You offer her the other chair, but she shakes her head. 

“Bahy An-un!” she says with a little wave. You are certain that you will see her later though. The what you learned to be librarians had visited you every day to learn more about your language and world. 

It was a fools errand though. Clearly these elves were ignorant of even the simplest contraptions. You had tried to explain some of the amenities of your world to them dozens of times, yet the elves always gave you a confused stare. Surely once you learn more of their language you will have enough of a grasp of abstract concepts to articulate yourself. The concept of an automobile just could not be explained at this moment. When you tried to draw one, they kept trying to add horses to the front or water underneath to ‘complete’ the vehicle. Ignorance of technology didn’t come as a shock to you, after all, the elves lived in glorified tree houses. 

Looking out the door down the hall, you confirm that the coast is clear before pulling your battered wallet out from under the mattress. Well, the mattress was more like a bag of hay wrapped in cloth, but it was damn comfy. Maybe it was magic that kept it so firm yet oh so soft. 

Examining the contents of your wallet had become something of a ritual for you. Every day you would take it out at least once to do an inventory of its contents. You had: $26, your driver’s license, a credit card, a debit card, and a rewards card from your local grocery store. All that remained from your previous life. In the chaos following your arrival, it would seem that the elves had failed to check your pockets. From what you could tell by watching the town square outside and the clothes you wore, most elves carried around packs or had a series of small pouches on their belts to hold their items. The idea of showing it to the elves had crossed your mind, but you had not been ready to risk the wallet in the name of elven anthropology. Based on how they had treated your clothes, you had made the right call. You didn’t really need pockets either, now that this wallet was your soul possession.

Your phone was long gone. The first thing to go, lost upon impact with the water. No way to retrieve it, who knows how deep the pool may have been or what may have lived there. Maybe if the elves are desperate enough, you could find it again in the future. Doubtful, as any sort of sediment would bury the phone and there was no guarantee that you had dropped it in the pool to begin with. With a sigh, you replace your wallet and settle into one of the chairs. Using the ink and quill you had been provided, you began to copy and translate elven into English and vice versa. It was a grueling and mind-numbing process. In the few days that you had been here, all you could translate were a few food items, water, a few pieces of furniture, and Arsofina’s name. 

All of these things were uncertain, as there was no way to know for certain that the translations were correct, or even accurate. For all you know, the symbol you had been drawing for ‘bed,’ could be their word for ‘sheet.’ To make things worse, the context of how the word was being used seemed to change how the symbol was drawn. Much like how an apostrophe and an extra ‘s’ had perplexed the elves, it would seem to denote a possessive was to change the symbol completely. At the end of yesterday’s tutoring session, it was clear that the elves were frustrated with your lack of understanding. 

While it would be nice to say that the elves were struggling with your language as well, the scholars seemed to pick-up your language much faster than you did theirs. Already they had come to understand how each letter represented a noise, and memorized basic punctuation. What seemed to baffle them most was the necessity of vowels. Often times they would try to write something from their language out phonetically, only to end up with a jumbled mess of consonants. Any attempt to rectify this was met with frustration and the insistence that what they had written was indeed correct. Who the hell did they think they were, trying to tell you how to write your own language? 

You take a break to flex your fingers. Well, the elves may be arrogant, but you were happy to have the company. Your time in the jungle had left you desperate for human, or, well, elf interaction. Some of them may look on at you in disdtain, but you would not change their view by returning a sour gaze. Maybe they would let you out for some fresh air if you asked politely? Arsofina should be here soon anyways. 

Just the thought of her brought a smile to your face. Out of all the elves, you could tell she cared the most about you. There must be some way you could properly thank her for saving your life. Pondering what she would enjoy, (and that you could do or obtain for her), you practice writing her name again.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Captain, today’s papers.” said a guard.

“Just drop them on the desk, I’ll get to them eventually…” replied captain Stellora dryly. 

The guard placed the thin stack of papers down onto the disheveled desk as Stellora read over a report on what sort of armaments were being shipped from the capital city. The guard fidgeted, but made no move for the door. Stellora turned her eyes away from the paper in her hands and onto the guard. 

“Was there something else? Hucha?” said Stellora.

“Er, yes… captain. It’s just, Mrs.Triti just submitted a missing persons report. Her husband isn’t back yet from his trip.” said the guard.

“And?” said Stellora raising an eyebrow.

“Well,” gulped Hucha as she looked down at the rug, “It’s just that that’s the fourth person in three days. What’s happening out there? Why aren’t we on alert?”

Stellora picked up the missing persons report and shrugged. “People get delayed. It’s the frontier for fuck’s sake. This guy wasn’t just taking a trip to the baker, he was going out into barely charted territory to grab some critter or root or something. It’s unpredictable out there. There’s a million different reasons why he may be delayed. ‘Sides, he’s only… one day past his EXPECTED return date. Hardly cause for alarm.”

“But so many? So close together? It doesn’t make any sense. And it all started when that human arrived!”

“Listen, if it was up to me, that savage would be tossed over the wall. But Lady Irin has made it quite clear that he is our guest, and is not to be harmed. The guards I’ve posted report that he hasn’t done anything even remotely suspicious. I had my doubts about him, but it seems like he’s just a bumbling fool, not the demonic infiltrator I had him pegged for.”

Hucha remained unconvinced. “What about the sightings? Two different guards reported seeing something moving near the edge of the clearing last night.”

“Yeah. Something moving in the woods. Again, not enough to mobilize the militia. And like hell they did, I know for a fact that most watchmen just sleep through the night shift anyways.” said Stellora setting down the paper. 

Hucha looked down in embarrassment. 

Stellora sighed and reclined in her chair. “Look, I get it. You’re worried. That’s good. It’s our job to protect these people from any threats. But out here on the frontier? Everything is a threat. This is a dangerous place, and these people know it. Most of ‘em are damn good at what they do, good enough to venture out into the jungle alone. But sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes people… just don’t come back. As harsh as that may sound, there’s nothing we can do about that. Everyone in Oreath knows the risks. Our job is to keep the risks in their favor, not go tromping through the jungle every time someone’s late for supper. Vigilance is the most important part of out job, but you’re jumpin’ at shadows Hucha.”

“Y-yeah… I guess you’re right.”

Stellora smiled. “Atta girl. Listen, if we don’t here from any of the missing people by sundown tomorrow, I’ll put together a search party and lock down the city. Four people is probably just a coincidence, but like I said, we operate to keep the risks in Oreath’s favor.”

Hucha looked reassured thanks to her superior’s reassurance. “Very good captain.” she said with a small salute. With that, she turned and left Stellora to deal with the ever-growing mountain of paper work on her desk.

~~~~~~~~~

“So, Arsofina dear, how is the human doing?” asked Irin.

“Very good, Lady Irin. He is regaining weight and appears to be in fine health in spite of all he endured.” said Arsofina.

“Good, good. From these reports, it seems as if he is adjusting well to us as well, no?”

“Indeed. His uncertainty about us seems to have faded into curiosity. Anon certainly enjoys the visits from the archivists, though that may be because he grows lonely without any sort of contact.”

Irin took a sip of water from a glass. She leaned over to a thin stack of papers and pulled out a sheet near the top of the pile. “So, he is cooperating with us, and we still no nothing of his origins… how queer. This language, what an interesting way to write! I have not seen such a thing for decades.”

Arsofina perked up. “You have seen this language before?!”

“No, no, not this language. I mean a phonetic language. If my memory serves, the last phonetic written language was used by a small costal nation of pirates on the southwest shore of Silvecca. But that was ages ago, and the pirates were exterminated, or integrated into a different city-state.”

“Oh, I see…”

“And what of these drawings? The archivists keep delivering some of his drawings to me, but I cannot make sense of what they depict. Do you have any idea what they mean? For instance… this one…” said Irin as she presented a drawing of a figure sitting in some sort of box “makes no sense. The circles on the bottom appear to be wheels, but what is the main compartment? Why is there a huge hole in the side of the box? It is unsuitable for housing, and there is no source of locomotion if the box was intended for transport.”

Arsofina took the drawing and looked it over. She had been there when Anon had drawn it, and had no idea what he was trying to articulate. It may be because Anon was terrible at drawing. The ‘figure’ if it could be called that, was nothing but a series of straight lines and a circle on top. If Anon hadn’t been there, she and the archivists would have never even known that it was a human.

“Sorry, I am just as baffled as you.” said Arsofina returning the paper.

“Oh no, it’s quite alright, I’m sure that it will be easier for us to understand him as he learns our language. Regardless, that is not why I called you here. Anon has been in our care quite some time, and he seems to be recovering nicely. I imagine that he will be fully functional soon.”

Arsofina said nothing, waiting for Irin to continue.

“And since he is no longer in mortal danger, I think it would be best that he be returned to humans.” said Irin.

Arsofina stiffened. “You mean… send him to a human village?”

“Yes, he cannot stay amongst us forever. Endearing as he may be, we cannot play caretaker to a lesser race for the rest of his life. He deserves to be with his own kind.” said Irin.

“Of course. It would be wrong to keep him here…” said Arsofina. Her gaze lowered in spite her best efforts to keep eye contact with Lady Irin.

Irin reached out and clasped Arsofina’s hand between her own. “I know you enjoy his company, but he is not a pet. He is a human. It is dangerous for his kind to be here. Every day he stays here is a greater risk to Oreath. I have done all I can to reassure the town and placate the elves who would see him hanged, but there is merit to their concern. He has to go.”

Arsofina swallowed dryly. “I understand.”

Irin smiled sweetly. “I know you do. Perhaps you can visit him some day.”

“Where will he go?”

“I have already sent a messenger to a human village. There is a small university there, and I believe that the college would be more than happy to house Anon and teach him all he needs to know. He will be in good hands.”

“Good… good. I’m glad he will be taken care of…” said Arsofina.

“Do not despair, he still has a few days before they arrive. I know the archivists wanted to collect some sample of his blood and hair. If he is as docile as the reports suggest, it should be easy to convince him, but having you beside him wouldn’t hurt.”

Arsofina rose out of her chair and gave a short bow. “Then I will go assist them at once.”

As she reached for the door handle, Irin called out to her. “Oh, and Arsofina dear, in all the time you have spent with Anon, did you notice anything… strange happening around him?”

Arsofina turned and cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Things that shouldn’t be happening, happening… you know, a feeling of static, things floating around, drafts and cold spots, the smell of air before a storm…” Irin continued. Her tone was nonchalant, but her normally peaceful face betrayed her. She was clearly nervous about something.

“No… no nothing like that milady. Why… do you think…” Arsofina lowered her voice. “Do you think that he may be corrupted after all?” 

Irin immediately reverted back to her effervescent self. “No, of course not. It was silly of me to ask. Now why don’t you go get those samples hmm?”

“At once milady.” said Arsofina and she hurried out the door.

Irin sighed and reclined into her chair. So even Arsofina could not feel it. There was something wrong with that human. But what? It was like seeing a figure in the corner of your eye that always vanished when you turned your head. 

Irin strode to the window and looked out onto the bustling square below. “Oh Arsofina, what have you brought into our midst?”

~~~~~~~~~

Arsofina hurried across the square to the medical building. What Irin had told her was bothering her more than it should have. Anon was leaving. That was a good thing! He would be more comfortable with other humans. It was wrong for a human to live with elves, dangerous even. But how dangerous? Irin’s last question unnerved her. Anon posed no threat to anyone, did Irin see something in him that the rest of the city did not? If she did, why had she allowed him to stay in the first place?

With long strides, Arsofina arrived at Anon’s door to see him hunched over his table, quill in hand. Archivists were seated in various places, talking amongst one another. Seeing Arsofina, they rose to their feet and greeted her. 

“Are you ready to help with the tests?” asked Lythris

“Yes, I suppose so. Not like I’ll be doing anything…” replied Arsofina.

“Ah, but he’s so much easier to control with you here. That counts for something, no?”

Arsofina shrugged and the elves began to leave the room.

“Anhnone, follow.” Arsofina said.

Anon looked up from his work, and quickly followed the elves out into the hallway. The party strode the length of the building in silence, out across the breezeway and into the apothecary’s lab. 

An elderly elf greeted them with a smile.

“Ah, the human. We’ve been expecting him. Come, this way.” He said shuffling through a curtain separating the lobby from the lab.  
The lab was a mess of chemicals and flasks. Glassware was scattered everywhere, in various states of fullness. Dried plants hung from the ceiling and shelves and drawers overflowed with all manner of alchemical stock. The elderly elf led them to a chair, and brushing aside some goo patted the seat for the human to sit down.

Anon was obviously not keen on the idea. He looked at the archivists, and then to Arsofina with a skeptical look. 

“It saf Anon!” said Arsofina trying her best to reassure him.

His eyes narrowed and he gave a sigh, but took a seat in the chair and leaned back.

“Mmm yes, very good. Now, we will only need a bit of his blood, a sample of his flesh, and some semen to complete the test. Should be easy. Just keep him restrained until then.” said the old man as he prepared an intimidating syringe.

“W-wait, SEMEN?” stammered Arsofina.

“Yes. It is critical to the test. Arguably the most important thing.”

“W-w-well how are we going to… to… you know…” Arsofina was blushing furiously, staring at the ground.

“Err, that will be HIS job. Just tell him to masturbate into the cup we provide.”

“Ewww…”

Anon was much more concerned with the needle than Arsofina at this point, but her lack of confidence was certainly not helping his nerves. The archivists all milled around him, helping the doctor prepare the extraction site and pick a small patch of skin to take from Anon’s thigh. 

As Anon clenched his fist, Arsofina took his hand and squeezed it. She was no fan of needles either. She could feel the tension in his arm loosen in her grip. 

“Alright now, just a quick pinch, be ready to hold him down if he starts thrashing.”

As the needle entered Anon’s arm, both he and Arsofina had to look away. It was hard to tell who was squeezing whose hands harder.  
The blood drawing, as promised, only took a minute or two. The archivists did have to hold Anon down as they removed a dime-sized piece of skin from him, but he calmed down after a bandage and salve were applied. With his wounds bound, he made to get up.

“Wait! Aynone!” said Arsofina.

He turned to her with a quizzical look on his face.

Arsofina held out the cup to him. “Y-y-you, uhh… need… n-need to… in, in here… umm…”

She was a wreck. Her hands trembled and beads of sweat began to from on her face. Her palms were already slick with sweat. Anon just stared.

“I don’t know how to get him to do…’that’…” she said

“Oh fine, I’LL show him.” said the sole male archivist.

Shoving the cup into Anon’s hands, he began to make a masturbating gesture to Anon. Anon’s eyes grew wide as he realized what was being asked of him. He looked around at the other elves, who were all doing their best to avoid his gaze. All except for the old doctor and the archivist. 

With a nod, he began to undo his pants.

“NO! NOT HERE YOU IDIOT!” shouted the archivist. The women behind him blushed even harder and Arsofina had to leave the room. The doctor quickly herded Anon into a curtained stall and told the other archivists to follow Arsofina into the lobby. 

After fifteen minutes, the Anon reemerged with the doctor close behind. 

“Yes, these samples will do nicely. You may take him back, though I recommend you bathe the creature before he touches anything…” 

Anon had a blank expression on his face. 

“Home now?” he asked

“Yes, home…” said Arsofina, still looking at the floor.

Making certain to stay upwind of Anon, the archivists and Arsofina directed Anon to the showers.

~~~~~~~~~

Miles away from Oreath, Madari before a small fire with the other braves of her village. The party of bright-eyed young women had now more than doubled in size. The braves were no strangers to combat either; these were the tribes veterans, the pride of the village. Each had seen combat and emerged victorious. Yamazi had also sent for several shamans, who huddled together in a separate group. Their long robes and unblemished skin was a stark contrast to the near naked, battle scarred bodies of the braves. There was a tense silence, all eyes were pinned at the dwindling flame.

“I am certain the runner informed you as to why you were summoned…” Madari began.

Every amazon in turned to her.

“The human who desecrated the Spring of the Ancestors has been taken in by the elves. Our honor demands that we retrieve him.” continued Madari.

“She also mentioned something about the elves living in a fortified outpost with ten scores of elves.” said an amazon.

Heads turned to the new speaker, and back to their leader. How the amazons were supposed to take the human back from a fortress of notoriously good archers had been the question on all amazon minds during their trip to the staging ground.

“Our scouts have been observing the town for nearly a week. We have learned the guard’s habits, and have made rough estimates of how many in the town are fit for combat.” said Madari. “The guards themselves appear to be complacent and lazy. No night watchman does not fall asleep at their post. Only thirty guards ever appear to be in armor. A large portion of their population, but dwarfed in size by our force. The real problem is judging what resistance will be encountered inside the city. The elves inside often venture out into the forest to hunt, trap, and forage. If enough of them organize into a militia, they will be difficult to overwhelm, but undisciplined. Our prospects for victory are high.”

The other amazons murmured and chattered in small groups. It seemed that the lack of knowledge of what lay inside the walls was a common sentiment. 

“And what of sorcerers?” asked Yamazi.

Silence fell once more as the tribe eagerly awaited an answer. It was known that the man they had been pursuing was a mage of some sort, but elvish sorcery would pose a serious threat to an invasion force. Haw many casters there were in the city would determine everything about the battle, what angle it would be fought from, what weapons would be used, and how the amazons would form up to attack. 

“We... we do not know how many casters reside there, but we know there must be several. Based on what can be seen through the main gate, and what can be seen looking at the rear wall, there is a temple at the back of the city. Certainly, there must be priestesses of the Damned Goddess there.” said Madari.

At the mention of the Damned Goddess, the cloaked shamans began to mutter and curse.

“Surely we can triumph over the elves, but at what cost? Need I remind you that the original war parties original purpose was to raid a human village for husbands? What would become of the tribe if our numbers were thinned to the point where we could no longer wage war on the humans?” said a brave.

“Wise words. We would be fools to assault the town with so much up to chance. What if the entire city is built on sacred ground and most inhabitants are channelers? What if its denizens are all skilled hunters and huntresses, capable of cutting us down before we even reach the wall? If too many of us are to perish, or become too debilitated, our tribe will surely be conquered and incorporated into another tribe!”

“Is it not possible that the elves would simply surrender him over to us? The elves hold nothing but contempt for humans, they may be glad to be rid of him.”

“They find us even more repugnant.”

The campfire was descending into chaos as arguments began erupting all around. 

“ENOUGH!” Madari shouted, bringing an end to the din. “While I would enjoy nothing more than plundering an elven city, I cannot ignore the risks we would take as a tribe in doing so. There is no longer enough time to plan our attack; the elves are beginning to suspect something. Already we have had to imprison several of them who stumbled across our camp. Tomorrow morning, we will give the elves a choice; surrender the human to us immediately for the hostages, or fight to the death.”

“That would only give them time to prepare! Our advance will only be hindered further by fortifications!”

“True, they will have time to fortify and prepare, but we will have an opportunity to see exactly what kind of garrison resides inside the walls. If they do not surrender the human, we will attack at sundown after we have made conclusive observations of their strength. Either way, we are certain to achieve our goal.” said Madari.

The amazons nodded in agreement, looking over to several elves who were tied to trees. The elves’ eyes were full of fear and hatred. One face was full of lust, having already succumb to the amazon’s conversion. Her skin was already darkening, and the first hint of a horn was beginning to part her whitening hair. She wore no gag unlike the other elves, and instead panted lewdly. The male elf she was tied next to was obviously disgusted by the display. 

“Are there any objections to this course of action?” asked Madari.

Silence. What was nervous excitement had been replaced with steely determination now that a plan was in place.

“Very well. At day break we will deliver our demands. In the meantime, sharpen your blades and string your bows, I do not suspect that the elves’ pride will permit them to surrender so easily." Madari concluded.

The circle broke and the tribe began to mend their equipment with earnest, chatting amongst themselves about what they wanted to loot most from the city.


	8. Chapter 8

On the continent of Monsters, a thin swath of human-controlled land stretched in a thin strip north from the South Sea, surrounded on all sides by monster infested wilderness. The territory itself was dubbed New Lescatie, and was established in retaliation for the sacking of the holy city. During more prosperous times for the humans, entire armies were brought over to carve out more territory and venture deeper into the demon realms. Now, New Lescatie was a backwater province with little to offer humanity. Trade with the human continent of Argen was difficult due to the abundance of aquatic monsters. Only a few select merchants and slavers had the skill and luck to transport their goods to Argen. 

Despite New Lescatie’s close proximity to monster territory, the region was known for having an astonishingly low killed/captured rate, only about ten out of every thousand were taken. In fact, slavers took more monsters hostage than monsters took humans. Since the armies no longer came, and there were few natural resources in New Lescatie, the pragmatic populace had decided to find a new source of income; monsters. 

Every city and town had at least one band of slavers. Many cities had even become specialized in tracking and capturing a specific type of monster. Excursions into the realms were common, and out of necessity most of the population was now skilled in wilderness survival and self-defense. Once captured, the monsters were appraised by certified guild members, and sold based on their qualifications. Strong monsters were often sent to the desolate mining towns near the fringes of New Lescatie, while others were sent to lumber processing towns in the eastern forests. Most were loaded onto ships and sold in Argen. 

Stream’s Edge was a modest town that had once been at the frontier of New Lescatie. It would likely have been abandoned when the forest was depleted, if not for the founding of a small university by a timber baron who had made is fortune in the town. Stream’s Edge University was only home to a little more than 500 students and faculty, but prided itself on being one of the only institutes of higher education for humans on the continent. 

It was to Stream’s Edge that the elven messenger Taraxa had been sent. Had the order come from anyone but Lady Irin herself, she would have refused. Humans were a stupid and brutal race by nature and had no respect for higher beings like elves. They were almost as bad as monsters. Bracing herself for the excruciating encounters with the local humans, Taraxa stepped out of the forest and into the field.

The town itself was surrounded on all sides by barren earth. For a mile in any direction, only weeds and grass grew. The earth was too difficult to farm thanks to all the decaying roots and tree stumps in the ground. A road snaked its way out of either end of the town, traveling north to south. It twisted and wound in an ineffectual way, following a path through trees that had long since been cut down. Taraxa stepped out of the weeds and onto the roughly-cobbled road. As she approached the town, she paused at a massive tree stump at the side of the road. 

Savages. 

This noble tree had no doubt been turned into a hideous piece of human furniture that would break as soon as it was used. Or perhaps a weapon, used to wage war and slaughter women and children. Already regretting her task, Taraxa pushed on towards the town in the distance. 

As she approached the north gate, a bell sounded out from the town. She could see the attendant frantically pulling a rope to swing the bell back and forth. Perfect. 

“MONSTER!! IT’S AN ATTACK!! GET YER’ WEAPONS THERE HERE!!”

“No, no, listen, I’m just here to talk to the humans at the “college” so there’s really no need fo- WOULD YOU STOP RINGING THAT DAMN BELL!?!”

The guard froze in fear for a moment, before tugging the rope again with even more zeal.

“SHE’S MAD TOO!! FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHIEF GOD GET OVER HERE BEFORE SHE KILLS ME!!”

“I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP AND STOP RINGING THE BELL!” screamed Taraxa “To hell with it…”

Taraxa drew her bow and readied an arrow. The guard screamed and disappeared from sight. Taking aim at the rope that rang the bell, she fired an arrow through the rope. The bell slowly came to rest, swaying gently. 

“Finally.”

“THAT’S HER! THERE SHE IS!!” screamed the guard.

By this time, several other humans had appeared in various states of preparedness lining the walls and blocking the entrance to the city. The gate keeper was pointing a pudgy finger at Taraxa from behind a muscular man in his mid-forties. Judging by the detail of his armor and the fact that he was the only soldier holding a weapon that was in decent condition, Taraxa judged him to be the guard captain.

“I can fucking see, you drunk, she’s the only one out there! What the fuck happened to the ‘invasion force’?” asked the 

“She’s the scout.” Replied the gate keeper, not taking his beady eyes off Taraxa.

The guard captain gave the fat little man a swift slap to back of his head.

“Scouts don’t walk up and introduce themselves you imbecile! She isn’t even technically a monster! You have one fucking job. A job that I GAVE you so that you would have enough to put a roof over your head. If you can’t watch a gate properly then I’ll just kick you out of the town, got it?” said the Captain

“Yes capn’ Felsper…” the drunk looked down in humiliation.

“However,” started Captain Felsper, turning to Taraxa, “I cannot deny that your presence is disconcerting. Why have you come, elf? Your kind has no business with us.”

“There it is.” Thought Taraxa. She hadn’t even entered the town and she was already being interrogated and condescended by this uppity guardsman.

“Actually, I do, ‘captain’. I need to speak to the humans at the college. I will not be long, now please step aside so I may be on my way.” Taraxa folded her arms defensively.

“There it is.” Thought Felsper. This damn elf hadn’t even set foot into Stream’s Edge and she was already breaking out that insufferable arrogance. Who did she think she was, telling him to move aside, he was the highest-ranking member of the guard!

“Well if you have an appointment, can you tell me who you are going to see?” asked Felsper

“I don’t have an appointment, I just need to speak to some of the instructors at the college.” replied Taraxa curtly.

“Ma’am, if you can’t tell me who you are here to see, I’m afraid I can’t let you in.”

“Can’t let me in?! You dare deny me entry?!” 

“I dare alright. So if you can’t give me any information about who you’re seeing, or why you are seeing them, then you can go back into that forest!”

“Y-… you INSOLENT little- RRRGGHHH!” Taraxa began to rummage through her bag swearing and muttering. She produced a scroll, stamped with an ornate crest.

“HERE. That is a message from Lady Irin, ruler of Oreath. Read it if you must, though I doubt one as STUPID as you could accomplish such a menial feat of mental labor!” said Taraxa holding the scroll out.

Felsper muttered as he walked over to the elf and took the scroll. Breaking the seal he began to read.

“Alright, let’s see here… human of unknown origin… came out of the forest… requesting help from human scholars… and, please come at once? Seems like this is urgent. Fine, you can enter the city” said Felsper handing the scroll back “but I’ll be watching you. If I even think you’re going to do anything wrong I’ll toss you out myself.”

“You can try, insect.” said Taraxa wrenching the scroll out of his hands. 

Felsper grit his teeth and took a deep breath. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~

Captain Felsper knocked on a mundane door on the top floor of one of the college halls. 

“Professor Pyritta? There’s some…one here to see you…”

There was the sound of paper rustling and the sound of a chair sliding across the floor before a short woman with messy hair and a shirt that seemed a bit to immodest for a professor opened the door to greet her visitors.

“Ahh, Captain! So good to see you! Who did you bring for me?” said Professor Pyritta.

“Er, yes, always a pleasure. This i-“

“My name is Taraxa and I am here on behalf of Lady Irin herself, the benevolent ruler of the illustrious town of Oreath.” interrupted Taraxa.

Pyritta raised her eyebrows and looked from the elf to the captain. 

“Yeah, that. Apparently, they need our help. Must be pretty bad if they came all the way out of the trees.”

The professor gave a short gasp. “Oh how delightful! An elf! Tell me, did you live you whole life in Oreath? How far is it from Oberdon? Is the culture different? Oooh, what a beautiful cloak, is that only for travelling or does everyone dress like that?”

Taraxa stared as the professor rambled on and on about various aspects of elven life. Glancing to the side, she could see the captain staring straight ahead with a blank look in his eyes. By the Chief God, was she ever going to shut up? Wordlessly Taraxa shoved the scroll into the woman’s face. Pyritta stopped her ramble mid-sentence to take the paper.

“What’s this? Let’s see here… hmm… oh? A ‘human of unknown origin?” she looked up at the elf. “I’m not quite sure I understand, are you saying that a man from a hitherto uncontacted civilization of humans just bumbled into your village?” 

“No, one of the citizens found him in the forest, near death. The letter says all that we know about him thus far, which isn’t much. The dullard cannot even converse in common.”

Pyritta stared at the elf, then reread the letter. “W-well this is just fantastic! To think that there is an entire civilization that has yet to make contact with the rest of the world! The implications are staggering!”

“Implications indeed.” said Taraxa dryly. “What I am worried about, as with the rest of the elves, is what it would mean if this civilization was discovered by monsters first. It’s bad enough that the world must endure the presence of humans, and even worse that your kind serves as fodder for monsters. As soon as you find out where this one came from, make sure that the rest are integrated into your ‘civilization.’ I don’t want monsters making a meal of them so close to my home.”

“So sorry our deaths are such an inconvenience to you…” muttered Captain Felsper.

Taraxa ignored him and Pyritta was too excited to care. 

“I’d be delighted to help! I’ll pack my things right now! Captain, could you track down my husband and tell him to get ready as well? It’s important he accompany me.”

“Certainly professor. Is he teaching right now?”

“Yes, in the south hall, first floor. Tell him we’re going into the forest for a trip, and to pack a week’s worth of clothing and supplies.”

Captain Felsper nodded and left to find the professor’s husband, eager to leave the arrogant elf and the eccentric academic behind.

“Pack light, we need to travel fast and you’re only retrieving him. You will not be staying more than one or two nights, just long enough to get acquainted and set out again. We need him gone as soon as possible.” said Taraxa

“Sure, sure, believe me, we’ll have him out of there in a heartbeat! I’ll be ready to leave in an hour.” said Pyritta. She left the elf and guards standing in the door as she began frantically searching shelves for books and papers.

“R-really? An hour?”

Pyritta looked up at her past an armful of papers and tomes. “Is that a problem? We can leave later if you aren’t ready to go, but I want to leave as soon as possible.”

“No, an hour. That’s quite alright. I’ll… just be by the north gate then…” said Taraxa.

It was strange to hear that a human would be prepared for the journey so fast. Normally humans were slow to do anything, especially pack.

“Err, the trip will take several days. Maybe a dozen with you and your husband dragging along behind me…”

“Don’t worry about that, we can keep up I promise. This expedition isn’t our first, and the jungle isn’t the worst obstacle we’ve faced.” 

Taraxa was a bit surprised by the confidence in the woman’s tone as she bounced around the room stuffing various odds and ends into bags.

“We shall see. Your words may be bold, but I have no doubt that when it comes time to prove your claims you wi-“

Taraxa was cut off by the sound of wheezing and heavy footfalls coming up the stairs at the end of the hall.

A man with a thin layer of stubble burst out of the stairwell with several bags in hand. Without slowing down he sprinted down the hall to the professor’s office.

“Are you the elf?” he asked panting.

“Yes?” replied Taraxa hesitantly 

His hand shot out to seize her own, shaking it vigorously. “Great, nice to meet you. Hey baby!” he called shoving past Taraxa. “I got the stuff, I’m ready to leave, all we need is-“ 

“Provisions from the market.” finished Pyritta. “I can take care of that if you can get-“

“Clothes from the house. Got it. See you at the north gate!” he said.

Pyritta walked over to him and the couple exchanged a brief kiss before her husband bounded down the same stairs he had just ascended. As Taraxa watched him go, she couldn’t prevent her mouth from gaping in disbelief. The sound of the door slamming shut shook her from her stupor and she turned to see Pyritta locking the door before turning to her. In just a few minutes, she had collected a sizeable amount of literature, and even more impressively, organized it neatly into a few bags.

“Oh, you’re still here? You should head over to the gate if you don’t want to be late.” said Pyritta hurrying past her and down the stairs.

The guards snickered at Taraxa, but snapped back to their professional composure under her glare. 

Fucking humans.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Day broke over the walls of Oreath. Hucha sat in silence eating her breakfast, while watching the thin most dissipate in the first rays of dawn. In town, the populace began to stir in their dwellings. The most diligent shopkeepers and tradesmen were already preparing their shops for the day. Hucha suspected that there would be far less commerce than usual. True to Captain Stellora’s word, a search party had been sent out into the jungle, and the town had been put on high-alert. Trade could proceed uninhibited, but the threat of an attack from an unknown enemy would be enough to keep the citizens of Oreath in their homes.

Hucha took another bite of bread. By now, more than half a dozen people were past due to return. Even more concerning was that most of the elves that had disappeared had been travelling east. Hopefully the scouting party would be enough to find the missing elves, and put an end to the string of disappearances. 

Hopefully it wouldn’t be anything too dangerous. The demon realms were far to the west and north, so a full-scale assault was unlikely. This was most likely a small band of thieves, or a pack of wild animals desperate for food. 

Or amazons. Hucha gulped. While she had never had the displeasure of meeting an amazon, there were plenty of rumors and stories from Oreath’s veterans about the mysterious warriors. They had been the primary danger of Oreath when the town was founded, pillaging, raping, and on occasion murdering the elven settlers. Only after walls were erected and a special ranger force from the capital was brought in were the demonic savages pushed back. When the amazons attacked again, the rangers dispatched the mages, and made short work of the remaining amazons with combat magic. 

Unfortunately, Oreath’s image had forever been tarnished, and the town was doomed to forever be remembered as a dangerous backwater outpost. Not that Oreath’s citizens minded. To them, this was a haven for those who wished for a quiet, simple life. There were no strangers in Oreath. Except the human.

Hucha snapped back to attention as a small cry cut through the mist. It was faint, almost to quiet to hear. Rising from her stool, she scanned the tree line. The guard on the opposite side of the gate stood as well, trying to see what had caught Hucha’s focus. 

“What is it?” she asked.

“Did you hear that?” said Hucha.

The guards stood perfectly still, staring into the forest. From a thicket, a gangly figure stepped out onto the road. Hucha fumbled for her telescope and brought it up to her eyes. 

An amazon. 

A hulking mass of tattooed muscle and haphazardly placed demonic appendages, she dwarfed the elf being towed behind her. The elf was struggling, apparently restrained with thick ropes. Her face was badly bruised, and caked with fresh blood. The amazon turned and gave the elf a quick jab in the gut. The slender figure crumpled to the ground in a heap. With a single arm, the demon picked up the elf and began to carry her under her arm. With long graceful strides, the warrior strode with confidence towards the gate.

Hucha lowered her telescope. It really was an attack. Where were the rest of the amazons? What was going to happen to Oreath? To her? Her mind went blank as her hands trembled and wrapped around the cool brass. Her compatriot was the first to recover, shouting for reinforcements and sounding the alarm bell.

Before she knew it, Hucha was surrounded by the rest of the guard. She scarcely registered their presence. Her eyes were still fixed on the advancing figure, and the limp body she carried. She couldn’t help but imagine her friends or loved ones slung under the arm of the beast; even herself. 

“Hucha, HUCHA!”

Hucha’s trance was broken as Captain Stellora stepped in front of her and began to shake her.

“C-captain… it’s an amazon…” 

“Hucha get a hold of yourself!”

“Captain… are we going to die?”

Stellora could see the other elves stiffen at Hucha’s comment. A shell-shocked guard was the last thing she needed to deal with.

“We are NOT going to die. I absolutely REFUSE to let this city fall to those barbarians. There is only one amazon out there. There are probably more, but a raiding party of amazons is nothing we cannot handle. But, I need you to be able to help us. So either pull yourself together and shut up, or I’ll throw you over the wall to distract the amazons, got it?” growled Stellora.

Hucha nodded lightly, but never managed to make eye contact with Stellora. With shaking hands she picked up her bow and slung a quiver over her shoulder. As Stellora looked around, she could see that Hucha was not the only soldier with doubts about battling amazons. Other guards were busy taking deep breathes, muttering prayers, or staring straight ahead. This was not good. Oreath’s guard had never faced something this substantial since the original amazon raids back when the city was founded. Even when the guard was actually deployed, it was usually against animals who were nesting too close to the walls. None of the guards had much in the way of combat experience besides sparring with each other. A single amazon may not be a threat, but even a small raiding party would be enough to turn a brief confrontation into a siege. 

“No one fires while she has that hostage! How many of them are there? Do we know exactly how many of them are here?” said Stellora.

“No captain, that amazon is the only one that has been spotted so far. That can only be said of this post though. For all we know, they could be massing at the eastern wall.” replied a guard.

“Send a messenger to the eastern bulwark and tell them to keep in touch. I’m garrisoning most of out troops here at the main gate. If the savages want to get in, they’re going to have to go through the whole guard, or a solid wall.”

A soldier broke away from the throng of elves and began sprinting across the empty town.

The elves were now organized into a respectable fighting formation, though there was still only one amazon to point their bows at. She was well within earshot now, but showed no sign of stopping or releasing her prisoner. 

“HALT!” shouted Stellora.

The amazon took a few more steps and stopped. She dumped the elf she had been carrying at her feet and let out a throaty chuckle.

“And here I thought that I was going to be able to walk through those gates before you cowards found your tongues.” said the amazon with a sneer.

The elves on the wall shifted uncomfortably at her words. The amazon’s voice was deep and stern, and her common was heavily accented. It was neither light nor pleasant, as it was when spoken by elves.

“Tell me why you have come here, demon.” said Stellora in an indifferent tone.

The amazons grin grew even wider. Lifting one of her gargantuan feet, she rested it on the elf in front of her. “Well, as you can clearly see, I have something you want. And it just so happens that you have something we want.”

Stellora tensed. “We?”

The amazon feigned shock, bringing her hand to her mouth and widening her eyes. “Oops. I wasn’t supposed to let that slip, but yes, there are more amazons in the forest. Though I’m sure such an ‘intelligent’ and ‘noble’ race such as yours has already figured out that something has been happening to the fools who venture out beyond your pathetic walls.”

Stellora’s mouth felt dry. She had goosebumps that her armor thankfully hid. If the amazon was telling the truth, more than half a dozen elves were in amazon custody. For a small town like Oreath, this was a significant loss. 

“Why are you here.” repeated Stellora. 

The amazon used her foot to roll the elf over so that her bruised face was visible. Thankfully, she was too far away to see any gory details; the only thing that could be gleaned from this distance was that she had been beaten senseless. 

“As I said, you have something we want.”

Captain Stellora scarcely managed to stifle a gasp.

The amazon’s grin broke into a full-bodied laugh. “Yes, him! I can see it in your eyes, he must be quite interesting for you to think of him so fast. I am a bit offended though; amazons do enjoy things beyond putting men in their place. I’d love to get my hands on some of those blankets you weave. They're just so soft! Ohh but I am interested… tell me, what does he look like? I’m so tired of my sisters’ wild speculations. Can he really use magic?”

Stellora was silent. Her knuckles were white as she clenched the hilt of her sword.

The amazon’s smile faded as the silence drew on. “Hmm? Not giving any hints? That’s respectable, I do like surprises after all.” 

The amazon took her foot off of the elf and took a step back. “The deal is this; give us the human male that you took in, and we will return your people. Fail to deliver him, and we burn your city to the ground and tear up the roots of those trees you love so much. You have until sundown to produce the human.”

With that, she strode off into the forest. An elf handed Stellora a telescope.

“Captain, look.”

Stellora raised the telescope to her eye. At the edge of the forest, a dozen more amazons stood watching the city. In their hands were elves, all the people who had gone missing from Oreath over the past week.

“LOOK! TO THE SOUTH!” shouted an elf somewhere to Stellora’s right. Every head on the wall swiveled to see what the guard was pointing at. It was a figure trotting just inside the forest. Behind it, another figure stood watching the city.

“I see something moving to the north as well!” cried another elf. 

“There’s one! Right there!”

“Behind that tree! I just saw her, didn’t you see?”

"That's just a shadow."

“That log wasn’t there the other day was it? They moved it! There must be more amazons hiding all over the forest!”

The wall descended into chaos as the elves all began to call out amazons, or what they thought to be amazons. Stellora could tell that many ‘amazons’ were just figments of the guards nerves. But censusing the amazons would be impossible with all the erroneous reports of the novice guard. 

“Captain, what should we do?!” asked Hucha

Stellora stared at the amazons in the distance. “Call Lady Irin. And the archivists. And Arsofina. We have to get rid of that human.”

~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Lady Irin’s office became an impromptu war room. Extra chairs had been brought in, and a table that had been set up in the center of the room was filled with papers denoting supplies, weapons, and people in Oreath. Lady Irin, Arsofina, Captain Stellora, High Priest Salvica, and several of Oreath’s aristocrats were crowded into the room, sitting in silence. 

“We have to give him to them.” said Stellora.

“ABSOLUTLY NOT!” shouted Arsofina slamming her hands down onto the table. Papers fluttered to the floor.

“She is correct Arsofina. There is no reason for us to harbor that filthy creature here at the cost of elven lives. Your time with Anon has warped your perspective of this situation. The amazons would be doing us a favor if they did not have hostages…” said Salvica.

“As much as it pains me to say this, I believe that surrendering the human would be the best course of action.” said Solidago, head of several mercantile ventures in Oreath.

“How can you say that?! Anon is a guest in our city! You know what will become of him if he falls into amazon hands. We have not even confirmed that the other elves are alive!” said Arsofina.

“The elf who was captured confirmed that the others were alive, but that some had… fallen…” said Salvica. 

Silence fell over the group. There was no way to save elves who had succumb to the demon’s curse. They would be exiled so as to prevent the taint from spreading, but they could not be allowed to stay in Oreath. Most elves viewed being transformed into a lecherous hedonist who sought to lay with humans as a fate worse than death. 

“I believe Arsofina is correct.” said Lady Irin.

All heads turned to her. Until now she had been silent on the matter.

“Milady, how can you say that? These are OUR people that the amazons have! Would you really trade their lives for a human?!” said Stellora.

“There are several pieces of key information that are missing, dear captain. We are still unaware as to the true size of the amazon’s force. We know that the elves that have been captured are accounted for, but we do not know how many have fallen. It would be foolish to surrender Anon only to find out that they numbered less than a dozen, or that all of our comrades must be exiled immediately after we save them.” said Irin sipping her tea.

Stellora rose from her chair. “WE ARE ABOUT TO BE INVADED! THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THE AMAZONS FROM ATTACKING IS TO GET RID OF THE HUMAN!” she shouted.

“Stellora! I understand that you are upset, but please do not ye-“ Salvica began.

“Who says they will keep their word?” said Irin, unphased by Stellora’s outburst.

“Huh?”

Irin raised herself out of the ornate chair behind her desk and strode over to the window. Below, elves were scrambling to and fro, moving crates of weapons and supplies. The gate had been barricaded with carts and large crates.

“Do you truly believe that the amazons will leave once they have claimed their prize? They are warriors. They thrive on combat. One’s position in the tribe is determined by martial prowess; and how effectively one can lead a fighting force. What can you pillage? Who can you defeat? That is what drives them. No, Anon or not, they will assault Oreath. I am certain of it.”

“So we are doomed to fight?” asked an aristocrat. 

“Yes. I see no other way. If Anon is withheld from them, they will attack us out of spite. If he is relinquished to them, they will see our capitulation as a sign of weakness and attack us to loot Oreath.” said Irin.

“There must be SOMETHING we can do!” said Salvica.

“Perhaps, I have had a certain… theory that Anon may be more than he appears to be.” said Irin.

“What do you mean?” asked Arsofina.

“Have you not sensed it Arsofina? In all the time you have spent with him, have you never felt the energy within him, caught the whiff of storm-scent around him? I am convinced that Anon keeps within him a vast amount of magical energy. Why he has not revealed his abilities or used them to escape the jungle is a mystery, but if my predictions are correct, he can help us in the coming fight.”

“That’s insane! Anon has never once used any sort of magic, not even a simple cantrip!” said Salvica

“I have tasked the archivists with testing his body to determine if he really does have magic potential. They should be finishing their reports as we speak.” 

“What if he CAN use magic? Then what? Do we throw him over the wall and tell him to zap the amazons? He can barely speak, and you expect him to breakout advanced combat magic and waste an entire raiding party of amazons?” said Stellora.

“He will turn tail and flee!” said Salvica.

“NO! Anon may be a human, but I do not think he would abandon us so easily. He truly does care about us, I can see it in his eyes.” said Arsofina.

Several merchants began to voice their opinions, but the argument was cut short by the arrival of Lythris. She was out of breath, and her appearance was even more unkempt than usual. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her fingers were stained with ink. 

“Milady!” she said. “You were right! It is as you said, Anon does possess magical potential!”

Lythris hurried across the room and handed Irin a thin stack of papers. Irin’s eyes grew wide as she flipped through the pages.   
“It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” Continued Lythris. “Not only does he produce more spirit energy than any human has a right to, but his magical fingerprint is impossible. It’s as if there’s some sort of interference in his soul!”

Lady Irin turned over the last page and set the stack of papers down on the table. The others quickly took what pages they could grab and began to read. 

“Thi-this is… how could this be…?” muttered Salvica. 

“It is… impressive… but is it enough to win? We have yet to see him perform any magic!”

“Perhaps he has not had a reason to use combat magic. He could have been fending off beasts and amazons in the forest for all we know.”  
“It’s too risky. I don’t like it.” said Stellora.

“I agree, it would be foolish to place all of our trust in an illiterate ape. Surely we can fend off some filthy barbarians.” said Lythris.

Lady Irin looked out at the sky. It was just past noon.

“Bring Anon here.” she said. “It would seem we must fight no matter what outcome is decided in this room. If that is the case, he must be willing to offer his aid, guest or not.”

Arsofina clenched her fists under the table. She just couldn’t picture Anon as the type of person who knew combat magic. She couldn’t picture Anon as the kind of human who knew ANY combat skills actually, he had almost died in the woods. The poor bastard probably couldn’t nock an arrow. Chances are he would probably just get in the way. 

“Arsofina, could you fetch Anon?” said Irin.

“Yes, milady…” said Arsofina. With a quick bow, she hurried out of the office to retrieve Anon.


	9. Chapter 9

Cold. It was always so damn cold in this city. Ever since your childhood. A cold city filled to the brim with even colder people. The rags on your body did nothing. Your frozen hands to numb to even move extended in hope of alms. Nothing. No warmth. Darkness.

~~~~~~~

You awaken from yet another vivid dream in your bed. Still in the elven city. Oreath. That’s what they called it. Probably, for all you know Oreath could be the general area around the town, or the name of the state that the city was located in. Such trivial particularities were irrelevant right now. Outside, in the misty morning, a bell was sounding. Was it some sort of religious festival?

Rising from your bed, you walk to the window. Clearly you have woken much earlier than normal. The sun has only just risen over the horizon, the first golden rays of morning just barely reaching over the canopy of trees. Strangely, the market square outside your window is deserted. Even at this early hour, there should be merchants and craftsmen setting up their stalls in preparation for the day. Moving from side to side, you attempt to see what is happening. 

Suddenly, a platoon of guards rushed across the square towards the main gate. You could see that they were armed with bows and swords, instead of the usual batons they normally carried. What was going on? Was this an attack? The city did appear to be some sort of outpost. Then again, it’s not like you had any sort of reference as to how big elven cities were. For all you knew this could be the New York of forest friends and you would be none the wiser. 

The real question was if this WAS an attack, what was attacking? The thought sent a shiver down your spine. If this was a fantasy land, there could be anything from big-ass wolves to an eight-story eldritch horror out there. Suddenly all the memes about orcs raping everything in sight seemed much less humorous. These elves may not speak your language, and they may be pushy and arrogant sometimes, but they did take you in and care for you when you were at death’s door. They hadn’t even asked for anything in return, aside from your compliance with testing. Hopefully they were OK. 

Your thoughts drifted to Arsofina as another squadron of guards ran past your window. Was she going to be OK? Hopefully she would show up soon and tell you what was going on. Turning away from the window, you seat yourself at the table and begin to write out some words in English. War. Fight. Weapon. You had no idea how any of the words were written of spoken in Elven. You knew how to say ‘table knife’ but from what you had seen, an actual knife was a completely different word in this language.

As your mind wanders to weapons, it occurs to you that conventional weapons may not even be used in combat. The elves were capable of magic, (well, some of them), so who was to say that combat wasn’t just a slugfest of lightning bolts and fireballs? Maybe combat in this realm came down to who wasn’t a smoldering crater by the time the dust settled. Taking up your quill once more, you write down some classic magic spells from Earth. Hopefully you didn’t come off as to much of a whack-job. They weren’t exactly technical terms. Hell, you knew nothing about magic. Did you need to chant an incantation? Did it require a sick-ass staff or a pristine jewel? Perhaps you had to make a contract with some sort of higher power or sacrifice fourteen goats on the winter solstice.

All of the speculation without answers was driving you crazy. Setting aside you list of spells, weapons and combat terms, you begin to doodle to pass the time. Hopefully Arsofina or the scholars would be here soon.

~~~~~~

By the time Arsofina DID show up, it was past midday. Only just though. The town had been eerily quiet for the entire morning. Was that a good thing? Was it just a false alarm? Maybe they just shot whatever it was with bows and that was that. It may not have even been an attack in the first place.

Arsofina burst into the room short of breath.

“Ahnon, come.” she commanded.

Her tone was unusually serious. Normally the elves had a firm tone when giving you orders, like a dog. But Arsofina’s tone was different; it was commanding yes, but also desperate and worried. The slight grin she had when she saw you was gone; replaced by a tightlipped crease that told of her distress. You got out of the chair and put your shoes on. As soon as the second shoe was secured on your foot, she grabbed your hand and yanked you out the door. She was jogging now, with you stumbling behind her. Her hand was clenching yours, so much so that you could see the whites of her knuckles. 

“Arsofina, loza?” you asked. One of the most useful words you had learned so far, ‘loza’ meant where, or where to. 

She didn’t reply. 

Your guide led you out of the infirmary and across the cobbled square. From the wall you could see several guards turn to watch you as you passed. Their eyes seemed more loathing than before. As you watched several muttered something to each other. A sharp yank from Arsofina informed you that you had slowed down under the scrutiny of the elves. Picking up your pace you head towards an especially large tree near the temple.

{Just give him up Arsofina! I can end this right now if you just hand him over! That pet isn’t worth the lives of our neighbors!}

An elf was shouting at you two from the wall. Arsofina growled and her hand began to tremble.

{You damn coward! They’ll die because of you! If it were up to me I’d have you hanged! You did this to us Arsofina! YOU KILLED US ALL!} 

The guardsman was clearly upset at being ignored. Arsofina burst through the massive doors at the base of the tree and slammed them shut behind her. You took a few steps into the tree and looked up.

It was an incredible sight, the entirety of the tree had been hollowed out. Large chunks of wood crossed the gap to form what you supposed to be supports for the tree. A staircase wove its way up through the tree, forming little landings at nodes that formed the rooms you had seen from the outside. In some places the staircase crossed the tree like the support beams, and in other places it formed a spiral staircase around the perimeter of the trunk. Large swaths of the walls were dedicated to huge tapestries or carvings like the ones you had seen in and on the temple. Tiny gloves of light were placed at seemingly random places along the wall. Despite their size, they produced an incredible amount of light that did not strain your eyes to look at. 

“Woah…” was all you could muster as you looked up at the architectural abnormality. 

You were shaken from your awe by a sniffle behind you. Arsofina was on the ground, clutching her legs to her chest and burying her face in her knees.

“H-hey, what’s wrong? Uhh… sanchu alwa.” You did your best to offer words of consolation like she and the scholars had when you preformed their tests. As you reached out a hand she swatted it away.

{This really is my fault… I should never have brought you here. Why did I help you? I should have left you for dead! I knew some of those people, how can I ever face them again?!}

Her outburst was followed by an uncomfortable silence as she cried softly. You had already exhausted your incredibly short list of ways to console her. 

“Arsofina, it’s OK, I’m sure that things are going to turn out fine. You saved me, and I won’t forget that. I don’t know how useful I’ll be in a fight, if one is happening, but I’m gonna do my best to repay the kindness you elves have shown me.” 

Arsofina seemed unmoved by your words. It didn't help that she couldn't understand you either. After a minute she collects herself and begins moving up the tower. You follow her, this time without so much as a command.

~~~~~

The room Arsofina leads you to is obviously owned by someone with authority. The shelves are lined with books and neat stacks of paper. The furniture is smooth polished wood, completely separated from the tree instead of being grown out of the floor. The desk itself was covered with more papers and several tiny statues and trinkets. The kind of things that wouldn’t look out of place on a business executive’s desk back on Earth. And about a dozen angry looking elves. They were there too.

The tension as you entered the room was enough to freeze you in your tracks. Every eye in the room was burning a hole through you. One of the guards adjacent to the door gave you a small shove into the room and slammed the door shut behind you, blocking it with her body. In the absolute silence of the room, your gulp was audible.

“Anon, come sit.” said Lythris. Damn. She was really picking up English fast. 

A chair was offered to you at the large round table where the other elves sat. Lythris sat herself down on your left, while Arsofina took the seat to your right. Lythris presented you with a piece of paper and a quill. Lythris waved her hand to get your attention and with a stern face asked:

“Anon, you magic do?” 

What? Magic? Were they asking you to do magic? Maybe they wanted to teach you magic? 

{What does that mean? What did you ask him?} asked one of the other elves.

{I asked him if he could perform magic.} said Lythris.

“Catrona?” you asked. From what you had learned that was their word for magic.

“No, uhh… magic… more?” said Lythris.

{Oh brilliant. The fucking savage doesn’t even know what we’re talking about. What a waste of time.} said a heavily armored elf. You recognized her as the one who had been in charge of the gate when you and Arsofina were almost shot.

{Settle down Stellora, he’s only ever seen cantrips. He doesn’t know the exact word for all magic yet.} said Lythris.

Taking a sheet of paper from the stack, Lythris made a quick doodle (that admittedly was more like a professional sketch back on Earth), of a figure launching some sort of stream from their hands at another figure, who was cowering away from the barrage. Over the second figure’s head Lythris wrote ‘dead’ in English.

“Anon kill magic do?” she asked.

Huh? Huh. Did they think that… you could do magic? You looked from her to the paper and back to her.

“Na, Anon bere… mora catrona.” you say. The elves around the table let out a collective sigh of exasperation.

{We’re wasting our time! I refuse to entertain the idea of using this illiterate moron as a viable defense any longer! Just get rid of him! We can use him as bait! Wait until the demons come close to take him and then shoot them! We can shoot him too while were at it.} said an elderly elf. 

{Watch your tongue Solidago, lest I put you on the wall as well.} It was that elf from before! The one who had saved you from the lunatics in the temple! The walking wet-dream herself!

She strode over to you and took another sheet of paper. She drew an illustration that was somehow even more detailed than Lythris’ drawing in even less time. This time the drawing depicted a figure that was clearly you. Your chin was raised and your eyes were shut, with your arms at your sides palms facing out. In your chest, there was an orb that was radiating something.

She tapped the picture, and then your chest. “Anon, magic.”

You mean…

“Anon wel kaa magic?” you ask. Can I use magic?

She smiled and nodded.

{Perfect. I’m sure now that he JUST LEARNED HE CAN USE MAGIC that he will be an INVALUABLE asset to the defense of Oreath. It only takes, what, a decade or two to learn how to use magic? I’m sure we can teach him by sundown, even if he CAN’T SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE!} shouted the guard captain. Whatever she said, she was obviously not pleased to learn that you could use magic. To bad bitch, you just wish you had the power.

{It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to work. Do you have a better idea?} said Lythris.

{Why yes, yes I do. In fact, it’s the SAME idea that every sensible person in Oreath has been suggesting since this morning: JUST THROW HIM OVER THE FUCKING WALL!!!}

The table erupted into chaos as the elves began to squabble and shout at each other. You were more interested at the implications of what they had said. You could preform magic? It didn’t sound like they were asking anymore, it sounded like they were telling you. Was there some sort of battle about to go down? You picked up the picture Lythris had drawn. The figure must be you, as it lacked any sort of elven features. The second figure, upon closer inspection, appeared to be some sort of demon. It had sharp teeth, and was covered in furs and skulls. She (with the gigantic breasts Lythris had drawn it was obviously a she), also had what appeared to be a small pair of wings and a short tail. Was this what the commotion was all about? Were these things about to attack? Putting down the paper you watched as the elves continued to fight. They must be stressed, you’d be stressed too if demons were about to break down your front door and murderrape everyone you knew and loved. They were counting on you. All of a sudden, you felt so useless. The people who had saved you, taken you in without ques- well, ok, they had almost shot you and tried to kill you in some sort of religious sacrifice, but other than that they had treated you pretty well. And now, you were powerless to help them in their hour of need. 

Well, if you really COULD use magic, that would certainly help. But how did one use magic? Was it an unconscious act? It didn’t seem like you needed a catalyst or anything, at least not for the minor stuff that the scholars did around the room. 

Your curiosity is piqued. Across the table, a glass of water rested on a stack of papers. A perfect test. Extending your hand you try to will the glass into your hand. 

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gpXMGit4P8]

Nothing.

Closing your eyes, you attempt to reach out with your mind to grab the glass. Still nothing. You can’t ‘feel’ the glass in any sort of mystic or supernatural way. 

Taking a deep breath, you try once more to lift the glass with your eyes open.

Arsofina takes notice of your psychic struggle first. 

{What the fuck is he doing?} she says.

The other elves likewise fall silent as they notice you waving your empty hand across the table, your face growing red with effort.  
Taking a deep breath, you calm yourself. What was missing? You shift your focus from moving the glass to the glass itself. Glass. Cup. Hollow. Lightweight and transparent. Then the action of pulling, lifting. Up. Strength. Grasp the cup, understand the essence, the essential being of the action and the thing being acted upon. Reach out. Your will made manifest.

With a crash the glass explodes in a burst of blue light. The shards of the glass fly at you, and you barely raise your arms in time to shield yourself. Whatever clothing the elves gave you was made out of, it was certainly sturdy. The shards were painful, but they failed to puncture the cloth. 

The room was silent. Lowering your arms, you could see a small scorch on the table where the glass had been. Turning around, you could see several of the larger chunks of glass had imbedded themselves in the wall and desk behind you. The elves were staring at you with mouths agape. A thin wisp of smoke rose form the singed papers next to where the glass had been.

“Uhh… ta-da?” you offer weakly, shaking your hands around. For some reason you felt a little dizzy. Probably just a side effect of using magic for the first time. Who knows?

The silence drags on for an uncomfortable length of time. Finally, the guard captain speaks up.

{Ok, well if we ever get invaded by drinking glasses we know who to call.}

{Stellora how can you say that! This is huge! He’s magic capable! That may have been a bit sloppy, but anything is better than nothing!} said Lythris.

{Oh please. You all are neglecting the fact that he isn’t even a soldier! Even if he can use magic, who says he’ll even fight? He has no understanding of our tactics, formations, ranks, or techniques!} said the elf who tried to kill you in the temple.

{Neither do our guards…} muttered Arsofina.

Lythris and the mega-milf tried to hide their laughter. The guard captain glared at them. The top-heavy elf collected herself and cleared her throat. 

{Well, it couldn’t hurt to have him help. I suspect that when the fighting breaks out, it will not be as neat and orderly as fighting an army on an open field. If Oreath is at risk of being destroyed, then what harm is there in enlisting Anon’s aid?}

{We still don’t know if he will fight…} muttered the guard captain.

{Arsofina, would you ask him?} said the nice elf. You should really learn their names.

Arsofina sighed. “Ahnon,” she said. You turned to face her.

“Ahnon, uhh…” she made a stabbing motion.

“Fight for elves?” offered Lythris.”

“Ya! Ahnon fieht foh elps?” she asked. 

Oh lordy that was too cute. Those big amber eyes, that beautiful face, the broken English and that cute lil’ pout… it was almost too much for you.

“Ya, Anon fight teid mora ul elves.” you say. You will fight till the death for them.

The atmosphere at the table instantly changes. The guard captain lets out a tsk and turns away. The priestess who had tried to kill you is suddenly very interested in some papers in front of her. But the mood is more relaxed and welcoming. The elves are no longer looking at you with the same contempt that they had earlier. A few nodded in acceptance. Lythris and the matronly elf were both beaming. Arsofina looked like she was about to cry.

{Well, if Anon is going to fight with us, we should get him outfitted.} said the titty elf. {And Lythris, could you stay with Anon and try to teach him any combat magic? Even basic spells; anything really. I just don’t want him to be defenseless when he’s staring down an amazon.}

Arosfina and Lythris rose and bowed to the elf. Arsofina gave a small tug on your sleeve. 

You pushed your chair back, and gave your best bow to her as well. 

“Prata-voeh, ul alvicc.” Thank you for everything. Best say it now. No telling if you’ll see any of these people again.

Turning, you join Arsofina and Lythris waiting for you at the door.

~~~~~~~

One of the nice things about almost starving to death is that it does wonders for your figure. Your now slim build allowed you to fit into one of the elves thin leather jerkin. They also provided some leather greaves, but would not provide any other armor. You did your best to articulate that whatever was on the other side of the wall probably warranted more than a thin layer of animal hide, but the elves ignored your concerns. They insisted that this was sufficient. 

As for a weapon, they gave you a small sword. It was only about eighteen inches in length, and incredibly light. Perhaps this was some alloy that was only achievable in this land. You placed it into the sheath. There was little chance that you would have to use it. From what you had gathered on the way to the armory, the elves wanted you to use magic and not bother with actually stabbing anyone. Fine by you, it’s not like you’ve ever had to fight anything with a sword before.

After your gear had been secured, entirely by the elves, you were led out of the armory by the small posse of elves. Most of the elves who had originally been escorting you had gone off, presumably to prepare for the attack in other ways. Now it was just Arsofina, a few scholars, and some of the priestesses from the temple. Walking across the empty plaza, they showed you a position behind some nasty looking chevaux de frise. The position was behind the gate, looking down the road. It was only fifty feet or so to the gate. The gate itself would provide no tactical advantage if the door broke. On this side, the road flared widely around the gate, meaning that the enemy would be free to disperse and avoid being contained in a small, easily contained fighting force.

“So, uhh… what am I supposed to do exactly?” you ask. 

The elves stare at you. You extend your arms and make a zapping noise towards the gate. Looking back, you see the elves are still wearing their deadpan stares, with the exception of one in the rear of the group who has her head buried in her hands.

{This is never going to work…}

{I mean, at least he’s trying to help. But you are correct, I do not believe that he will be able to provide any significant assistance.}

{Well he’s here for a reason…}

{Oh right, the bait.}

~~~~~~~~~

The current plan of action for the elves was to attempt to hold the main gate for as long as they could, before retreating up some planks that had been set up on the roofs of houses. From there, the plan devolved into ‘shoot till their dead and pray you don’t run out of ammunition.’ The elves stood no chance against the amazons in direct combat. The only chance of winning was the elves superior range and mobility. If the amazons made it up onto the roofs, well, Oreath would probably be ash by tomorrow morning. Ideally, they would never reach the roof tops because Anon was on the ground. If he was the reason they were here, then maybe they would prioritize him instead of the guard. While they tried to haul off Anon, they guard could pick them off at their leisure. Anon would also be instructed to fall back to the town square if things got too hectic near the gate.

Not that Anon knew any of this.

~~~~~~~

{So he can use magic right? You said he just did something earlier?}

Arsofina nodded. {He shattered a cup.}

{That’s it?}

{It was the first time he ever used magic, give him a break! He just learned that he could use it today.} snapped Lythris.  
{So he’s a total novice, knows no spells, has no control over his magic, and we put him HERE? On the front lines? I don’t like the human but even I think that’s a bit cruel.}

{I’m more concerned about the control. What if he tries to hit the amazons and shoots a fireball into one of the houses?}

{It isn’t too late to get rid of him you know…}

{NO! Lady Irin said that he was NOT to be handed over.} shouted Arsofina.

You felt a bit left out as the elves argued about you. Clearly some of them were unhappy about something involving you, and you could sense that it was a common sentiment. Looking up at the elves on the wall, you could see several staring at you with hate in their eyes. Some of the windows around you were filled with fearful faces and contemptuous gazes. A wave of sorrow swept over you as you realized how alien you were to all of them. Even if you were fighting for the elves, they were not your people. They did not like you, you were not their friend. You were an ally at best. Was their any who would accept you in this strange new world? Would humans even accept one of their own if he was from a different dimension? Or were you doomed to wander the earth as an outcast forever, never again to know friends and a home, only people and houses?

A hand on your shoulder brought you back to the present. Arsofina was standing in front of you with one of the priests. 

“Anon, mahgic practas.” she said.

You can’t help but smile. Even if you had trouble fitting in, the fact that you could use magic was definitely something to smile for. It had been the dream of man since the dawn of time to harness powers beyond the mundane world. You don’t know what the future has in store for you, but you know for sure that perfecting magic is going to be your number one priority.

The priest takes a spot next to you and plants his feet firmly on the ground. Staggering them for balance, he extends both arms outwards with his palms facing out. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he retracts his hands before thrusting them out again in a pushing motion. One of the barricades flashes with a brown light and topples over, sliding along the ground. You let out an involuntary ‘ooo’ as the mage releases his breath and opens his eyes. He turns to you expectantly and raises an eyebrow. 

Guess that means it’s your turn. Planting your feet in a similar manner, you put your arms out and take a deep breath. You close your eyes, but quickly reopen them to see which barricade you should practice against. Picking one about twenty feet away, you point your hands at it and close your eyes. Let’s see… so with the cup you had attempted to understand the nature of the object being acted upon and the action itself. 

Reaching out you try to move the barricade. You strain and struggle, but nothing happens. The priest shakes you a bit. Looking over at him, he takes a deep breath while raising his hand to his chest, and lets it go while dropping the hand and moving it away from himself. He points at you and you mimic the action. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Was breathing how magic worked? 

You try to move the wooden spikes again, but fail. You can’t even feel it. Adjusting your stance, you thrust your hands at it again.

{Well, I for one am certainly impressed.}

You don’t have to speak elven to know what was just said. They were mocking you. Frustration started to boil up from inside you. With renewed vigor, you push at the wood again. 

Nothing.

The priest puts his hand over your heart. It didn’t occur to you until now, but the effort you were putting into moving this barricade, the scorn of the elves and the jeering from the group behind you, your heart was beating quite fast. The priest raised his hand above his head, and slowly lowered it down to his stomach. Calm yourself. Ok, yeah, you could do that. Closing your eyes you clear your mind. Forget about the people around you, the battle to come, why you are here, your fear, your anger, your joy, yourself; all that is is the wood in front of you, and the power you posses to move it. After a moment of meditation, you open your eyes to look at the barrier ahead.

You close your eyes and clear your mind. You become vaguely aware of your heartbeat, a slow, rhythmic lub-dub that is the tempo of your life. Reaching out you grasp for the barrier. Nothing before me, nothing within me, nothing ahead of me. All is now.   
There. You can feel it. Ever so gently, you will the barrier to move.

~~~~~~~

As much as Arsofina wished for Anon to succeed, she knew that his magic would be useless in the coming fight. The amount of magic he possessed was vast, but to use enough to make a difference would be impossible. If he could even use magic. Verbia’s snide comment had stung, even if it wasn’t directed at her. Anon had been trying to move the spikes for a few minutes and hadn’t even manifested the glowing envelope around the wood that indicated he was acting upon it. 

{So much for your pet, Arsofina.} muttered one of the clergy.

She hung her head in shame. It seemed like every time she involved Anon in something it just made things worse for all parties involved.

{Wai-what?}

{I don’t believe it…}

Arsofina looked up as murmurs of disbelief rose from the crowd. The barricade was glowing a faint blue. She let out a noise somewhere between a squeal and a gasp. He was really doing it! But how far would he be able to move it? The wood was much lighter than even a small amazon, would he be able to muster enough force too-

Suddenly the blue light around the barricade flared in a brilliant azure nova. Arsofina covered her eyes. There was an earsplitting crunch followed by the sound of debris hitting the ground. 

Lowering her arm, Arsofina’s mouth fell open. The barricade was now a pile of wood chips. It hadn’t just been snapped in half, it had been completely crushed. Several large chunks of wood had snapped off and were laying scattered around the grisly scene. The other elves were in a similar state of shock, even the elves on the wall had stopped what they were doing to gawk at the spectacle. Anon was staring wide-eyed at the pile of mulch, covering his mouth with his hands. The silence was oppressive.

“Whoops…”

Arsofina was the first to collect herself. Looking over at Verbia with a smug grin she asked: {What can I say? Best pet I ever had.}


	10. Chapter 10

You sat on the bench that had been dragged over for your sake. It was almost night now in the elven city. The preparations for the attack had long since been completed; now the city waited in silence for the first foe to appear. 

After you had crushed the cheval de frise with your magic, the elves seemed content with your magical skill. Fuck yeah, magical talent. That was definitely something to smile about. The only problem is that you had no idea how to keep yourself from getting light headed after using magic. Breaking the drinking glass had made you a bit dizzy, but crushing the barricade had made your vision swim and your feet threaten to fail you. The elves were quick to bring you a bench and a snack, which was sorely needed. Casting magic worked up quite the appetite. 

Arsofina sat next to you, kicking her feet back and forth as she stared into space. Obviously she was not in the talking mood. Then again, neither were you. While you certainly wanted to learn magic, you really hoped that you didn’t have to blow anyone up. Images of soldiers bursting into clouds of gore played over and over in your mind. Were the elves even the good guys? The drawings they had made looked plenty spooky, but that doesn’t mean that they were inherently evil. 

Actually, it probably did in this world. When had anything seven feet tall with horns and batwings ever had a communities best interests at heart? Never, besides the MGs on your Laotian claymation publishing site.

The memory of the encyclopedia caused you to jolt upright. Come to think of it, this entire world bore a striking resemblance to the world in the books. The haughty elves, (well, that wasn’t exactly a ground-breaking concept…), the drawing of what could have easily been an amazon, the fact that you had managed to survive for perhaps a week in the forest with no training… it was all coming together! In fact, one of the first things you had encountered was a lady in a flower! The fruit that had made you sick must have been a prisoner fruit!

But if it was, why would it make you sick? Why had you not been violently raped while walking through what was probably a green demon realm? You settled back down onto the seat. Maybe this really WAS the MGE world. It was so close, but there were just a few things that didn’t add up, a few missing pieces of evidence that would confirm that you had really made it. You wracked your brain for any information you could remember about monsters. Which was quite a bit, after years of threads. If that really was the case, you had a huge advantage. A knowledge of all the species, some flora, and general trivia about the world around you.

It was a shame that you couldn’t look up the exact facts anymore. From now on, what you couldn’t remember would have to be learned. And one mistake would mean being pinned under a monster for the rest of your life. Funny, you had devoted so much time to MGE, but as soon as you arrived in this world, the girls who had occupied your thoughts for years had taken a backseat to survival. Even in Oreath, they hadn’t crossed your mind. You were more worried about your family, but had mourned for them enough. This strange new world filled you with an alien effervescence that made being sad for long periods of time impossible.

Arsofina gave you a curious look as you sat up, but you waved your hand to show it was nothing. She gave a shrug and went back to watching the gate.

If this is MGE, what would your end goal be? Sure getting a wife was probably priority uno, as getting dragged into a cave or pit of slime did NOT sound like the best way to spend your halcyon days. Even if you were going to be clam slammed to the brink of death every night, you still wanted to explore your magical talents. See just what you could do. Should you go for something strong? A dragon or a lich would be prime candidates for upping your powers and keeping you safe at the same time. It would be nice to have some autonomy though. And the idea of fucking a corpse was suddenly much less appealing now that it was a possibility. Maybe something more diminutive? Damn, this was hard. Not only would you have to make a decision about your life partner in a VERY short amount of time, but you would also have to traverse miles of unknown terrain and fend off hordes of other women to even have a chance of wiafuing your idea girl. There wasn’t even a guarantee that you would be accepted. 

You chuckle. Ok, your chances of getting accepted were very high as long as you didn’t go for a monster who got off to martial arts. No salamanders, lizards or hinzumis for you. Not yet at least, who knows, you may be swinging a sword around in a few years.   
If this was MGE. Once again your fantasy is interrupted by the ugly reality that the ‘amazons’ outside may just break in, eat your ribcage, and use your body and intestines as a maypole. Hope it’s MGE.

A cry of alarm sounds out from the wall. The elves draw their arrows and take places on the wall. Three guards bound down a staircase with inhuman agility and sprint off across the courtyard. In the distance, a long flat note of a horn breaks the silence. 

This is it. 

You look down at your hands an realize just how much they are trembling. Reaching up to your face, you wipe away the sheen of nervous sweat from your face and take a deep breath. Were you really ready for this? It’s not like you were a soldier or anything. Once the fight broke out you would be wholly dependent on magic to carry you through.

“Ok, ok, I can do this, easy Anon, this will work itself out one way or another…”

You almost jump out of your skin when Arsofina puts a reassuring hand on your shoulder. Yeah. Ok, you can do this. Easy, nothing to it. Just point and blast. 

From the wall the guard captain barked an order. The elves drew back their arrows, and with another shout fired them over the wall. From the other side, a howl of pain sounded. It was haunting, like someone took an opera singers voice and lowered it one octave to many. Unmistakably feminine, but much lower than it had any right to be. 

The guard captain shouted again, and the elves drew back. This time, the enemy was prepared. Before the captain could order them to fire, a wave of stars rose above the wall. Tiny pinpricks of light that flickered in the moonlight. The captain screamed something but the noise was drowned out by the sound of arrows crashing into the wall and the elves atop it. Several crumpled and collapsed, grasping at wounds. To your horror, it appeared that some of the arrows had passed clean through the elves. Those who had avoided the enemy’s onslaught released their arrows and reloaded. But more and more arrows began to fly over the wall and into the city. The invaders were apparently less keen on firing in volleys. Projectiles flew in sporadic bursts, often flying over the spot where an elf had just shot back. 

As the army advanced, you couldn’t help but notice that the arrows were getting progressively closer to your position. You felt so useless. You couldn’t even help the medics evacuate the wounded. A pair of elves rushed past you with a gurney, and you got a glimpse of the body atop it. 

She was sleeping peacefully, with a thin trickle of drool running down her cheek. How?! You just saw her get impaled with a gigantic arrow! It didn’t even look like she had hit her head hard enough to be knocked unconscious, she appeared to be in perfect health.

Could it be demon silver?

You jump back as an arrow that would look more at home on a ballista embeds itself into the dirt a few feet in front of you. You take a hesitant step forwards and pull it out. 

The shaft is a work of art. Nearly two inches around, there isn’t a single space that has not being carved. The shaft depicts everything from women hunting boars to shooting their enemies. Near the top, a carving larger than the rest depicts a woman in a triumphant pose holding an arrow aloft. Behind her, a man is kneeling and holding his hands up in reverence to her. Upon closer inspection, the carvings appear to spiral up the shaft and tell a story. Only closer to the fletching do the hieroglyphs become focused on violence against others rather than hunting or a depiction of what appears to be a rustic lifestyle. At the base, the woman is gesturing to a man who is apparently scornful of her. She is much smaller than the woman at the top. An entire life carved into a single arrow shaft. Brushing off some dirt you try to wipe off the arrow head. 

Arsofina quickly snatches the arrow away from you and throws it over her shoulder. She also gives you a gentle slap on the back of your head and points towards the gate. 

Oh well, there will be more arrows for you to look at later. Arsofina was right, focus on not getting killed first.   
The elves seemed to be doing quite well. While many had fallen, the majority of the guard were unharmed and returning fire. Magic casters had begun to weave spells, but whether they were defensive or offensive in nature you had no idea. Unfortunately, the invaders seemed to have magic of their own. Occasionally a reddish-brown tentacle would rise up and clash with a barrier put up by the elves. Explosions of color shimmered up and down the wall. It was awe inspiring. 

The wind was knocked from your lungs as Arsofina dove into you, taking the both of you to the ground. Looking up from underneath her, you could see an arrow quivering in the ground where you had been standing. 

{PAY ATTENTION DUMMY!} said Arsofina.

You mumbled an embarrassed apology and dusted yourself off. You really needed to stop racking up consecutive life debts to this elf.   
The sound of boots on the cobble stone behind you shifted your attention away from the wall. A small contingent of elves hurried up to you and gave a short nod to Arosfina. 

{We need Anon at the rear wall, the amazons are attacking in force!} said a guard.

{Are you insane?! Look at the gate! The front is here!} said Arosfina.

{Not anymore. We’re about to be overrun! He’s coming with us…} said the guard. She moved around Arsofina and made a grab for your hand.  
Arsofina put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. 

{There’s no attack at the rear wall! We haven’t heard a thing all night from that side of the city! The updates we’ve received say that the amazons have yet to muster any sort of fighting force at a location other than the front gate!}

{Well, they’re massing now.} said the guard shaking herself out of Arsofina’s grip. She grabbed your hand and told you to come in a rough tone.

{No! You aren’t taking him an-} Arsofina’s protests were cut short as another guard landed a sucker punch on her cheek. She reeled and fell back onto the road with a dazed look in her eye.

Oh hell no.

{Shut up! They may not be overrunning us at the back wall, but they’re going to overrun us here. There are a few back there, a few who just made a deal to end the siege if we just get rid of the human. Look around you, Arsofina! All this carnage is your fault! You just couldn-}

Now it was the guards turn to be interrupted. While she had been talking, you had channeled magical energy with surprising ease and managed to form a sort of geyser of energy under the squad. They screamed as the burst of energy flung them ten feet in the air. With a series of dull thuds they landed on the cold paving stones. Only two were conscious enough to begin to pick themselves up, but they were severely injured.

You turned to Arsofina and offered her a hand. She stared, mouth agape at the pile of guards loudly moaning in the street. For the first time since you had met her, she looked a bit fearful of you. Even if they had hurt her, they were still her friends…

You begin to pull back your hand, but she catches it as it retracts. 

“Thanuk yhue” she say with her head turned to the side. 

However, it seems that instead of you helping her up, she has other plans. She slowly begins to pull you forwards. How was she so strong? 

“Anon!” she cried.

Oh. Wait. That was you leaning onto her and passing out. Arsofina quickly drags you over to the bench and seats you on it. After a few seconds of balancing you so that you do not slide off or faceplant, she lets you go with a sigh. 

{HOLD IT! I SAW EVERYTHING!}

You can see the guard captain sprinting up to Arsofina with a few veteran guards in tow. 

{A human is barely tolerable to begin with, but one that BRINGS AN ARMY OF DEMONS INTO OUR REALM and BETRAYS THE PEOPLE WHO SAVED HIM is beyond reproach! Guards! Throw this vermin over the wall, head first please.}

Arsofina began to protest again but one of the guards grabbed her from behind, securing her limbs at her side and lifting her off of the ground. She thrashed and kicked at the guard holding her, but was no match for his strength. You desperately wanted to help her, but were still feeling weak in the knees from launching the other corrupt guards a moment earlier.

You are powerless to stop two of the guards as they seize an arm a piece and yank you forwards. Their pace is too quick for you to even plant your feet and they begin leading your stumbling body towards the wall. 

Unfortunately, the wall was in a much more sordid state of affairs than it had been a moment ago. The attackers must have made quite the push. The elven guard had suffered heavy casualties as their superior range had been taken from them. The wall was now crowded with slumped over figures; though there was an uncanny lack of blood amidst the crumpled forms. The remaining elves were either shooting straight down off of the wall, or hacking away at ropes that had been thrown over the wall. You watched in horror as an elf frantically tried to sever a rope, only to be grabbed by a large muscular arm and pulled over the wall with a shriek.

The gate was taking a beating as well. Axes worked to split the thick wood, and already a few holes had been made. Torch light from the city mingled with the light brought by the invaders.

{Shit! They’re coming over the walls! Just dump him in front of the gate and let’s get out of here!}

The guard holding your right arm gives you a shove towards the gate and retreats back into the city. The woman holding your left arm begins to protest, but a loud crack from the door and the excited cheers of the barbarians behind it prompt her to retreat as well.   
For the first time you see a glimpse of your foe. Just for an instant, you lock eyes with a massive woman with tanned skin and silvery hair accentuated by a single horn. Her torso is wrapped in tattoos that seem to shimmer in the torchlight. Across her face is a gleeful grin, but as she sees you her joyful visage contorts into a perplexed stare. Her deep, maroon eyes gaze back at you through the small gap in the gate. As she stares, her face changes from confusion to a sadistic sneer.

{I SEE HIM!! HE’S RIGHT INSIDE THE GATE!!} She bellowed. 

You take a step back. Her voice was the same haunting pitch that you had heard earlier. 

More faces filled the gaps in the splintered wood. The gate took on an appearance of some bizarre eldritch creature made of eyes and timber. With renewed vigor, the women set to work tearing down your last vestige of protection.

“Ok, ok, I can do this… I can do this…”

You raised your arms and pointed your palms at the gate. Easy Anon, just wait until they come and blast them, it’ll be over in a second, everything is fine…

A roar from above you caused you to jerk your head back. A warrior had made it over the wall and had leapt off the wall towards you. The remaining elves were too busy to offer any aid; you were on your own. 

She landed with a jarring thud about fifteen feet away from you. It was clear from this distance that this woman was MUCH larger than the elves. She stood at least six and a half feet tall and must have weighed close to three hundred pounds. She was lean, but the definition on her muscles was incredible. Almost too perfect. Like someone had carved it without the flaws inherent to mortal beings. 

Probably because she was clearly not a mortal. 

This woman had the same singular horn sprouting from the right side of her head. A leathery wing jutted out from the small of her back, too small to fly. A thin, cordlike tail hung behind her, flicking back and forth. She wore an amalgamation of pelts and cloth, haphazardly stitched together to offer some protection against the elven arrows. 

You registered all of these aspects of her physical appearance, but your conscious mind was more focused on the massive machete she was holding. It was at least three and a half feet long, but suited her size well. Even in the torchlight, you could see it shimmer with a faint lustrous finish. It reminded you of oil in a puddle, a hazy sheen that clung to the surface of the blade. 

Unlike the other women, she has an uninterested look on her face. She is completely unfazed by the chaos around her.

{You… what manner of human are you? Small and pale, from whence do you hail, little human?} 

You point your palms out at her. You may not know exactly what she was saying, but you knew that there was only one way that this was going to end. 

To your dismay, she merely grins at your token act of defiance.

{Ooh, so you can use magic. My sisters and I could see the flare from outside the wall, but we never suspected that a human was responsible. You are quite the prize. I look forwards to… ‘extracting’ the whereabouts of your people from you.}

You took a deep breath and tried to channel power into your hands. 

She frowned. {Mmm? No words for your foe? Pity. I did so want to hear what your voice sounded like. Though I shall hear plenty from you as I CRUSH YOU BENEATH ME!~}

As she finished, her muscular legs launched her towards you. To make matters worse, the first of the invaders had already made it through the destroyed gate.

Acting on instinct, you throw up your hands in defense. As the woman closes the distance with rightful speed, an arrow whistles over your shoulder and embeds itself into her left arm. She grunts and stops but is far from incapacitated. Arsofina appears beside you with another arrow already nocked. 

{ANON DO SOMETHING!} she screamed.

{YOU WOULD DO WELL TO AVOID MY IRE, ELF! YOUR CITY IS ALREADY DOOMED!}

The monster snapped the arrow in half in her shoulder and began lumbering towards you again. Arsofina fired again, but the woman merely shifted so that the arrow landed in the thick mass of pelts she wore. Reaching down, she grabbed a chunk of wood and hurled it at Arsofina. 

The piece of lumber caught her of guard and there was a dull thud as it hit her wrist. Arsofina cried out in pain as a thin trickle of blood seeped down her hand. Her wrist was bent at a strange angle. 

“NO!” Your panicked cry was involuntary. Rage and fear boiled inside you. Arsofina had been hurt on your behalf for the last time.

{YOU’RE NEXT HUMAN!} screamed the amazon. She lurched forwards with her machete raised. Behind her, you could see the others running towards you; all with the same sickening predatory gaze.

The unfamiliar power of magic welled up in your hands once more. There was no time to craft a precise spell, but then again, this was not an occasion for a precise spell. Mustering every ounce of energy you had, you focused your being into a single command against the material realm: push.

There was a blinding light in front of you. The light burned your eyes. Your palms felt like they were melting off. A shockwave lifted the amazon in front of you off her feet and threw her screaming fifteen feet in the air. The war party behind her suffered a similar fate as the ripple ravaged their ranks. Several elves were tossed aside, even farther than the amazons. Several were knocked from their positions on the wall, falling over the far side or backwards into the city. The amazon in front of you, the one who had taken the brunt of the blast landed with a sickening crunch near the rest of the invaders. 

Your ears were ringing. Your whole body felt too heavy. A stream of blood ran down your face. The world swam and began to fade as you struggled to keep your footing. 

~~~~~~~

“By the Ancestors! He’s a revenant! Spirits preserve us he isn’t a human he’s a spirit of vengeance! Fall back damnit!” Yamazi screamed as she fled across the field.

The rest of the amazons were not as quick to follow her, still stunned by the blast. They staggered and swayed as they rose, and began to follow Yamazi out into the darkness. A stream of wounded amazons, in various states of consciousness poured out of the city, dragging their wounded and nursing their injuries. Fortunately for them, the few elves that had survived the initial assault unscathed were caught in the explosion as well. The procession of wounded women was unimpeded by arrows or swords. 

A particularly large amazon rushed forwards to scoop up the woman who had been directly in front of Anon. Cradling her, she stood to look at Anon, who was now being supported by Arsofina. 

“Damn you spirit! Return to your world and torment us no longer! If we cross paths again, I will banish you myself for what you have done to my tribe!”

With that Madari turned and limped away with her daughter, quickly becoming lost in the parade of bloodied clothing and agonized wails. Arsofina watched them go. It wasn’t until after the last amazon had disappeared from view did she realize that she had been holding her breath. As her adrenaline faded, the throbbing pain in her broken wrist caused her to wince and double over in pain. 

“Rgggh… damn. Shit, this hurts. At least we did it. You really came through for us huh Anon?” she turned to look at him, but Anon merely crumpled and fell over. Blood was leaking out of his nose. His eyes were bloodshot. The sleeves on his shirt and the bracers that had been given to him had been torn to shreds.

“Anon!” Arsofina rolled him onto his back but he made no response. Gently touching his neck, she felt his pulse as an erratic and infrequent beat, a whisper. His breathing came in shallow gasps.

“Anon no! No, no, no! What’s wrong! Speak to me, please!” she pleaded.

She lifted his head off of the ground and scooted her legs under him to rest his head in her lap. Tears welled in her eyes as she hugged his bloodied face.

“I’ll be damned. I didn’t think he had it in him.” 

Arsofina looked up to see Stellora approaching. Her armor was spattered with blood, but she looked unharmed.

“You did this to him.” growled Arsofina.

“No, I didn’t. He did that to himself. Oreath wanted the amazons gone, and I wanted him gone. Looks like your human pet there solved all our problems at once.” said Stellora.  
“How could you say that! He saved us! Why can’t you show an ounce of respect!?” said Arsofina.

“Yeah, well, you can tell the elves he blew away that he ‘saved’ them. He caused as many casualties in one second than the amazons did during the course of the attack! Not to mention the collateral damage!” retorted Stellora.

“He panicked because you were too cowardly to fight! You had to send him to fight for you!” said Arsofina.

Stellora clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. “Why you insolent little cunt; I’ll have you hanged for treason! Don’t you dare insinuate that that ANIMAL has more courage than me. The first thing I’m going to do after the city is repaired is have you hanged for treason.”

She began to advance on Arsofina but a squad of scholars, doctors, and priests spilled out of their hiding places to tend to the wounded. Lythris and several priests crowded around them. They pulled Arsofina up and began to frantically inspect Anon. 

“By the Chief God’s wings, I’ve never seen magic feedback burns this bad before.” said one of the priests. She rolled Anon’s hand over to reveal a bright red palm. 

“His vital signs are weak, and dropping. We need to get him to the medical ward. We need a stretcher!”

A pair of elves quickly fetched a stretcher and the crowd lifted Anon onto it. The group split up to collect various reagents and magical remedies from the apothecary’s workshop, the temple, and even market shops. The last bit might actually just be stealing. 

As Arsofina watched them go, she saw Lady Irin herself walking through the carnage towards her escorted by her guard. Irin watched as Anon was rushed past her before continuing on.

Arsofina was sitting on the ground, clutching her knees to her chest with her good arm. Tears were running down her face and she was sniffling and rocking back and forth ever so gently. 

Irin strode up to her with open arms. “Oh, Arsofina my dear. It’s alright. Come here.” Irin pulled her into a tight embrace and stroked her hair. “Shh… he will be fine. They will take good care of him.” 

Arsofina reciprocated the hug as best she could with one arm. Stellora coughed.

“Captain Stellora. Well done during the first part of the assault.” said Irin.

“The first part?! We held the amazons off! You don’t think there are more coming do you?”

“No, the amazons are very superstitious. It was their shaman who called them away. They worship their ancestors and Ares. Clearly they have never seen a human like Anon, and took him to be a spirit of vengeance. Also, it was Anon who rid the city of amazons was it not?”

Stellora’s face reddened and she averted her gaze. “Well, he did help. But we weakened them! There’s no way he could have done that without OUR help.” 

“Oh? Is that so?” said Irin in a coy tone. “Because knowing you Stellora you probably already said something like “good thing he died just like the amazons” or “at least he had the decency to fix the problem he created,” no?”

Stellora was silent.

“As I thought. Arsofina and Anon are hereby absolved of any criminal charges that Oreath may try to place on them. I will not have them tried for treason, or any other offence against the crown, city, or Chief God. Is that clear captain?” 

“Yes Milady.” murmured Stellora.

“Very good! Now, we have an arduous task ahead of us, so let us put aside our hate and rebuild what we have lost.” said Irin in a cheery tone. “Arsofina, why don’t you go get your arm tended to?”

The elves went their separate ways as the citizens and guards of Oreath began to extinguish the fires and clear away the rubble. 

~~~~~~~

A day and a half after the attack on Oreath, Taraxa arrived with the pair of human professors in tow. Never before had she been so excited to be amongst elves again. The humans had been insufferably cheery and insisted on talking every step of the way. A ceaseless stream of inane questions about elves, about the human, what was the region like, are you single… there was just no end to it. To make matters worse, at night they fucked like rabbits. Taraxa had to sleep yards away from the camp and plug her ears to get a decent night’s sleep. They never seemed tired in the morning either. To them field work seemed like a vacation. 

At least they had made good time. Taraxa was worried that she would have to carry some senile old man miles through the forest on her back. But the humans were unnaturally adept at moving through the forest. They had arrived at Oreath a week before Taraxa had anticipated. Well, she may have exaggerated just how slowly humans move when she was planning the journey but the fact remained, Oreath was in view ahead of schedule. 

“Ooh! Look! Look! There it is! Isn’t it gorgeous?” said Pyritta

“It sure is darling. Almost as beautiful as you.~” said her husband, who’s name you now know was Halitt.

“Oh Halitt!~” swooned Pyritta as she embraced him.

The couple began another fierce make-out session, unswayed by Traxa's presence. It was their third today. It wasn’t even noon yet. 

Fucking humans.

“Can we PLEASE just get there already?! I need a long bath…” said Taraxa

They managed to disentangle their faces and continue their march towards the city. 

As they got closer, Taraxa could immediately tell something was wrong. There were far too many guards posted for this time of day, and the gates to the city were lying next to the entry way outside the city walls. As they neared the walls, Taraxa could see that the gates were riddled with holes, and had been destroyed. The roofs of the houses near the gate had scorch marks. The street was littered with debris. Out in the field, arrows stuck out at odd angles, all having been launched away from the city. 

“What happened?” whispered Taraxa to herself. 

The humans were for once silent. They seemed to appreciate the implications of what was around them, and Taraxa was eternally grateful for their silence. 

As they arrived at the gate, well, the giant hole in the wall, the guard stopped them and demanded their identities and reason for entry. 

Taraxa furnished the decree she had been given by Irin and the trio were allowed inside. Just inside the gate there was a group of priests waiting for them. 

“Wait here please, we need to ensure that you are untainted.” said a priest.

Taraxa waited as the priest preformed a spell that detected demonic energy on each of them individually. 

“What happened here?” Asked Taraxa as the priest finished up with Halitt. 

“Amazon invasion. Can you believe it? The human Arsofina took in lured ‘em here, all the way from across the Akarondi.” said a guard.

“What?! Amazons?! Seriously? How did we survive? How many of them were there?” asked Taraxa in disbelief. 

“There were about three score of them. Took down a few of them from the wall, but the savages were damn good shots. Had a demon arrow slide right through me, strangest sensation of my life.” said another guard. 

“Did we lose anyone?” said Taraxa. 

“Not a soul if you can believe it. I think they wanted to be careful. Didn’t know where the human was and didn’t want to risk leveling the town with him in it. He actually hurt more elves in the blast than the amazons did.”

“Blast? He?” 

“Aww you forgot the best part Myosoti! It was the human that sent ‘em packin’! Pulled some top shelf destructive magic out of his ass and blew the whole lot of em’ back out the gate! Turns out they think he’s a ghost or something, so they just ran away after he knocked them over.” 

Taraxa rubbed her chin. “So, the human can use magic?”

“Well, maybe not anymore. Poor bastard fried himself pretty bad. Depleted so much magic so fast that he put himself in a coma. I believe it too, seeing what he did.” 

“Fuck. PLEASE tell me that I didn’t drag these humans all the way out here just to pick up a corpse.” said Taraxa.

“Nah, like I said coma. He’ll probably make it. They’ve been dumping energy and food into him since it happened.” said one of the guards.

“If you say so. Not like it’s my problem any more. Where shall I take them?” said Taraxa pointing a thumb at the pair of professors behind her. 

“Lady Irin is meeting you in the medical ward. We’ve already notified her of your arrival, so I’d go straight there if I were you.” 

“Can we stop by the market first? It looks like there is some delectable looking produce in some of those stalls.” said Pyritta.

“No.” said Taraxa

“Can we see the library on the way out?” asked Halitt

“No.”

“The apothecary? I bet they know dozens of treatments that the people of Stream’s Edge could benefit from.”

“No. Now come on let’s go.”

Taraxa started to walk away, but the humans were insistent on sightseeing. 

“Is there anyone who would be willing to let us see the inside of their home? These tree houses look so comfy!”

“NO. Please, we’re so close, just walk the rest of the distance in silence.”

There was an awkward pause. The elves in the market square gawked at them as they passed by.

“Is there any store that sells lingerie? Something lacy and cute like the panties you’re wearing?” asked Pyritta

“YOU CAN SEE MY FOOT COMING OUT YOUR MOUTH AFTER I KICK YOUR ASS! HUH?! HOW’D YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT?! NO? THEN WALK.” screamed Taraxa. Whether her face was red with rage or embarrassment is debated to this day.

~~~~~~

The trio entered the medical building and walked to the end of the hall. It was easy to see which room Anon was in. Guards flanked the entrance to the room, and two more protected the main entrance to the building itself. Seeing Taraxa and the humans, they stepped to the side a bit to allow them entry. The room was crowded. Alongside Irin was Arsofina, Lythris, and a few doctors scribbling out notes above a figure lying supine on the bed. The doctors made the last of their notes and shuffled out the door without a word.

“Lady Irin, the human scientists you sent for.” one said.

“Ara, welcome to Oreath. I am Lady Irin, steward of this fair land.” said Irin with a small bow.

“I am Professor Pyritta Marric, and this is my husband, Halitt Marric.” said Pyritta.

“Pleased to meet you.” said Halitt.

“And these are some of my associates who have been helping me tend to and lean about Anon; Arsofina and Lythris.” said Irin.

“A pleasure to meet you they said in unison.”

“Thank you so much for coming all this way, but as you may have heard, Anon is incapacitated at the moment.” Irin stepped aside and let them through to the bed. “As you can see, Oreath came under attack two days ago. Anon used magic to defeat the invading amazons, but the stress on his body was too much. He has been unconscious since just this morning, when he awoke for only a few moments. Oh, Taraxa thank you for bringing them; you are dismissed.”

“Thank the Chief God. I’ll be in the bath with a hot meal if you need me.” she said with a little wave as she walked out the door.

“Incredible…” murmured Pyritta.

“Nothing I’ve ever seen, you?” said Halitt.

“His skin is so pale! How much magic did he use? This kind of pigment loss tends to take weeks of nonstop magic use before something like this happens.”

“No, that’s just how he looks. I found him like that. His skin was red and blistered in some spots though, but I think that it was probably an allergy or something.” said Arsofina.

Pyritta slung her pack off of her shoulder and pulled out a large book. “Let’s see… the closest thing to a ‘human with pale skin’ I can think of in the history books I have is a tribe that used to live in the deciduous forests far to the northeast. The records also note that their bloodlines possessed powerful magic.”

“How far to the northeast? Is his tribe in demon-controlled territory?” asked Irin. 

“Well, it wasn’t when these people were alive…” said Halitt. 

“What do you mean?” asked Lythris. 

“All records we have of the tribe, which isn’t much, comes from scraps about how they were beaten by a coalition of surrounding tribes. After that, it says, and I quote: “their bloodlines were culled from existence by superior seed and egg. After a single life season, (that means generation), there were none who possessed the skin of ghosts or the eyes of sky.” So basically, a bunch of people banded together to rape them so hard that their kids no longer resembled them.”

“Gods…” said Arsofina.

“And their eyes, it says they had blue eyes?” asked Lythris.

“Yes, but as I said, these people have been extinct for a LONG time.” said Pyritta.

“How long? Is it possible that some of them survived to flee?” asked Arsofina.

“Well, considering that they were exterminated eight hundred years before the current demon lord rose to power, and they lived a stone-throw away from the heart of the demon realms, I’d say no. The children of the… forced intimacies may have lived on, but there is no mention beyond that of any humans with pale skin or blue eyes anywhere else. Even then they would have been some of the first to fall to monster invasion.”

“Well then where did he come from?” asked Arsofina.

“Honestly? I have no idea. Is there anything else you can tell us about him?” asked Pyritta.

“Well, his clothes are made of a material that none of us have ever seen before, he doesn’t speak, read or write in common, his language is phonetic, and he had no idea that he could do magic until a few days ago.” summarized Lythris.

Pyritta and Halitt stared at her and then at each other.

“May we see the data you have collected on him?” asked Pyritta.

~~~~~~~

The next few hours were spent going over the piles of notes that had been taken during Anon’s stay. His language, his alphabet, all the crude drawings he had made and the elves interpretations of the drawings, all was spread out across the small table. By sundown, the pair of humans had a much better understanding of Anon. As the last of the light faded, they were shown to their room in the medical building and retired for the night.

The following morning, Pyritta and Halitt were awoken by a guard. 

“He’s awake, just thought I’d let you know. Lythris and Arsofina are already waiting for you.”

Anon scarcely moved as they burst into the room. His eyes were wide, but he made no motion with any other part of his body.

Pyritta rushed over to him, but realized that she had no idea what to say. 

“Dear, wh-what should I say?” she whispered

“What do you mean? Just say hello and introduce yourself.” said Halitt

Pyritta pulled a small piece of paper form her pocket and began to read aloud. 

“Hee-loo, may nam ees Pyritta.” she said. 

Anon let out a snerk and a hoarse laugh.

{Nice to meet you, I’m Anon.} he said weakly.

Pyritta squealed and did a little tap dance. “Oh this is so exciting! I want to hear more of his language, but that can wait. It took a lot of time and effort to find one of these, but… ta da!” she said producing a necklace from her pack. 

“What is it?” asked Arsofina.

It was a simple golden chain that was only slightly worn with age. The chain supported a small cloudy marble that shimmered between crimson and silver. 

“This, is an amulet of articulation. Not many of these around anymore. Ever since common became a universal language, any business conducted between two people is simple. In the olden days, humans needed to either hire a translator or get their hands on one of these to do something as simple as ask where the bathroom was. It’s a lost art, no one knows how to make these anymore.” said Pyritta.

Arsofina took it into her hands and rolled the pendant between her fingers. 

“How does it work?” she asked.

Anon nearly jumped out of the bed. With a grunt he propped himself up against the head board and stared, mouth agape at Arsofina.

“Like that I guess.” said Halitt. “We’ve never actually used it before. If you can speak common, everything people say just sounds like common, even if they speak it in a different language.”

“You can speak English?!” asked Anon. 

Now Arsofina was baffled. Anon’s common speech no longer sounded like an amalgamation of poorly pronounced words in a strange order, but perfect common. As if it’s the only thing he’d ever spoken.

“Y-yeah, I guess…” she said, a bit taken by this new turn of events.

“Is it the necklace?” he asked.

“Yeah, it-it is…” she said.

“Can they understand me?” asked Anon.

Arsofina became aware that everyone was staring at her intently. 

“Arsofina. We want to hear what he’s saying too. Just give him the amulet.” said Lythris.

“Oh, right.” She offered it to Anon. “Wear this Anon.”

Anon snatched the necklace out of her hand and put it on. 

“Well?” asked Pyritta. 

Anon’s face broke into a goofy grin. He let out a sigh, that transformed into a laugh. Craning his head back he laid back against the head board with his eyes closed. 

“Yeah, yeah this works just fine.” he said.

“Are you crying?” asked Arsofina.

Anon lifted his hands up to wipe his eyes. “Guess I am. Never thought I’d hear {English} ever again.”

“Is that what your language is called? Inglich?” asked Pyritta.

“Yeah, you know, what you’re speaking?” 

“Well, technically, you’re speaking common. To us, you sound like everyone else now. You’re the only one being affected by the amulet.” said Halitt.

“Oh.” Anon looked a bit disappointed. “Oh well, as long as I can talk I’ll be fine.” 

“It will certainly make learning to read easier!” said Pyritta cheerfully.

“Wait, what? I still can’t read?”

“Err, no, the amulet of articulation only effects how you perceive spoken languages. Reading is entirely different.”

“Anon, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been dying to know where you are from since you arrived here.” said Lythris.

“Oh, yeah, I’m from {Maine}.”

The room was silent. 

“Oh, Mayehn. Of course. Where is that again…?” asked Lythris.

“It’s the northeast most state in the Unite- wait what the hell am I saying! I fucking died! I don’t even know where I am!”

“You… died?” asked Irin

“You were lost in the jungle for a while. You probably had some bad hallucinations. But you didn’t die.” said Arsofina.

“No, no no no no. Even before the jungle, I got sucked into a hole and got spat out in… this world. I either warped here or died; I'm sure of it.” Anon reached under his mattress and produced his wallet. The elves crowded around Anon as he opened it up.

“Whats that?” asked Lythris. 

“I saw him pull that out a few times in the jungle. I think it’s a little pocket-pocket. Seems kind of counter-intuitive to me.” said Arsofina.

“It’s a wallet. Not much in it, but…” Anon laid out the contents on the bed. “Hopefully this can convince you that the place I came from and the place I am now are not separated by mere physical boundaries.”

The elves took some of the plastic cards while the pair of professors took some of the bills.

“Impossible… the intricacies on these papers is something even a master could not create…” said Pyritta

“Is this currency?” asked Halitt waving the twenty at you.

“It was. Not worth much here I would imagine.” 

“On the contrary! Every creature interested in human civilization would kill to get there hands on something like this!” said Pyritta examining the single. 

“Yeah, I guess, but I don’t want to just surrender the last vestiges of my home just yet. Oh, Halitt, hold that one up to the light.”

While the couple ooed and ahhd at the water marks, the elves were busy inspecting the cards.

“What are these? More money?” asked Arsofina staring at your rewards card.

“Well, kind of. The one Irin is h-“

“Lady Irin.” said Lythris without looking up

Anon stared at her. “The one LADY Irin is holding is a card that was linked to my bank account.”

“Linked? You mean it was enchanted to fetch money?” asked Irin.

“Well, in a way yes. We didn’t have magic in my world, but we built machines that could keep track of money even of there was no physical exchange of currency. The only thing that happened was some numbers were subtracted from my account and added to theirs.” 

“How exciting! So you just sent the card for the funds and it would take care of it?” asked Irin.

“No, you just ran the card through a thin slot in their machine. That was it. The card Lythris has is similar, but the money came from a line of credit instead of my own account.” 

“Fascinating… the transfer of currency without magic or physical interaction. How did it work if not by mana?” asked Lythris.

“We used electricity to power everything. We generated the electricity in many different ways.”

“What’s mine do?” asked Arsofina eagerly.

“That’s a rewards card. It meant that the store would give me better deals in exchange for shopping there.”

“That’s kind of lame…” said Arsofina. Her face scrunched up in a pout and her ears drooped. Cuuuttteee.

“This one has a tiny you in it!” said Pyritta.

“Wow, look! What a painting! The color looks a little faded but it’s a great work of art!” said Arsofina.

“That’s a picture. We had machines that could capture and record the color of a single instant. They were called {photographs}, or {pictures}, and we used them to record memories, beautiful scenery, help identify people and much more.”

“What’s the purpose of this voetoegrap?” asked Halitt. 

“That declares that I have permission to operate a motor vehicle. Basically, I was allowed to use the main form of transportation.”  
Anon was really hoping that this Q and A would end soon and he could get some food. 

“Anyways, I’m not from here. So, uhh, I have to ask… are there… monsters here?” 

The room went silent. All eyes were on Anon. 

“I mean monsters like, you know, demons. Or dragons, or perhaps some sort of supreme demonic entity bent on the conquest of all life…” Anon trailed off. “You know, hypothetically of course.”

The elves looked away. Pyritta and Halitt looked at each other and back to Anon.

“Yes, Anon, I’m afraid there are monster’s here. I imagine your life was very peaceful if there were none in your world, but here many humans do… succumb to monsters.” said Pyritta.

“And the women that attacked the city, were they amazons?” asked Anon.

“Why yes, as a matter of fact they were. How did you know?” 

“Lucky guess. When you say ‘succumb’ why did you hesitate like that. The men that get caught, to do they die?”

“Tis a fate worse than death…” whispered Irin.

The room was silent again. Halitt did his best to answer. 

“No, the monsters have been corrupted by the demon lord, an incredibly powerful succubus with the strength to rival gods, into a hybrid of their monstrous counterparts and succubi. Men who are caught are kidnapped to fulfil the monster’s desire for spirit energy.”

Ho. Ly. Fuck. This was it. The big ticket. The thing that every poster to ever haunt a monster girl thread dreamed of.   
“But, unlike the threads, it does mean that I have to wade through potentially hundreds of monsters to find an ideal monster.” Thought Anon. There were no do-overs here. If a matango got a hold of him, or if a cu-sith beat him down, that would be the end of it. 

“Well, that certainly is something to watch out for.” Said Anon. “I’ll be sure to stick to human settlements.” 

“I’m glad you feel that way, because these humans are here to take you back to their village.” said Irin. “Your things are already being packed. You can leave tomorrow morning.”

Anon smiled. “Thank you Lady Irin; I can never repay the hospitality that you and the city have treated me to.” 

Irin stiffened a bit. “It’s no trouble at all. If you truly want to repay us, you can live out your life in the human village. Forget that you ever came into contact with us.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

“It was wonderful to have you as a guest, but… you are a danger to our people. Already you have brought war to our city, and if you stay, more monsters will make their way here. We cannot survive an endless onslaught of creatures. Not all of them will be as easy to repel as amazons.” said Irin.

“I see.” Anon reclined against the head board. “Then I’ll leave. I swore that I would repay you when I was able too, and if that means never coming back into elven country, then I’m as good as gone.”

“We’ll take good care of him! Don’t you worry. And we’ll send you all of our research on him too!” said Pyritta.

“We appreciate it.” said Lythris.

“Excellent! We’ll see you off in the morning.” said Irin.

~~~~~~

Yes, all that stands between Anon and a loving wife is miles of terrain, a foreign culture, illiteracy, a general lack of physical fitness, poverty, bad weather, zero geographical knowledge, and thousands of rapists who could stuff him into a coffee cup if they felt so inclined.   
END OF ACT 1


	11. Chapter 11

“All packed Anon?”

“I only have two pairs of clothes.”

True to their word, the elves had risen bright and early to see me and the Marrics off. Apparently Oreath’s remote location meant that a long hike through the wilderness was necessary to reach any human settlements. Your worldly possessions were stored safely in a rucksack, along with several days’ worth of rations and a canteen.

Arsofina, Lady Irin, and Lythris had all come out to say goodbye. Captain Stellora was also present but was watching from a distance with a smug sneer. You knew many other elves in the city shared her sentiment, even if they were more discrete about their opinions of you. Oreath was sick of you; it was time to move on. How could You blame them? You did bring a literal army to their front door and blowup their front door. 

Pyritta hoisted the last pack onto her shoulders. 

“Alright, we’re all set then. We should get moving before it gets too hot.”

“Yeah…” 

There was an uncomfortable silence. 

“Thank you all for saving me. I owe you all my life. I would have died in the forest if it weren’t for you.” you said.  
Arsofina smiled. “You’re welcome. It was… exciting to have you here.”

The comment struck deep. These people had taken you in, and you proved to be a burden to them. Now it was time to leave and you were powerless to repay them in any meaningful way. 

“I really enjoyed hearing about your culture! If you ever decide to write any books about your world, I’ll be sure to read them!” said Lythris breaking the tension.

“Do not fret about what has transpired here, Anon. There was no way you could have known what was to come.” said Irin. “And after all, it was you who repelled the horde from our fair city in the end.”

Stellora gave a frustrated snort.

“I know it must feel as if you have been a discourteous guest, but we could never turn down someone in such dire need. We were happy to have you. Your journey from these lands will more than suffice as recompense.” said Irin.

She was really something. Wise, caring, intelligent… it was no wonder the people of Oreath were so reverent of her.

“Everyone… thank you.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him!” said Halitt. 

“And we’ll be sure to send a full report of his world! You’ll be the first to have it.” said Pyritta.

The couple began to walk towards the forest. 

“Fair thee well Anon. Whatever trials are to come, I wish you fortune.” said Irin giving a small bow.

“Be safe out there ok Anon? I’m not going to be around to save you anymore, so you better not die.” said Arsofina.

“I’ll try not to.”

She gave a weak smile and a little wave. Turning to follow Pyritta and Halitt, you stepped through Oreath’s gate for the last time.

~~~~~~~

“Hurry up Anon, we want to get to the stream before nightfall!”

How the fuck did they move so fast? It hadn’t even been a full day and you were already being left in the dust by some middle-aged professors. Not that you were exceptionally athletic to begin with. 

“How much further?”

“Just a few miles!” said Pyritta cheerfully.

Great. At least the sun was beginning to go down. 

“So this amulet, how does it work? How come I can understand what you say when you refer to distance?”

“It’s a mystery. What did you hear when I told you how far away the stream was?”

“You said it was a few {miles} away.”

“Interesting! Despite our measurement systems being unrelated, the amulet can still get the point across.”

You give an affirmatory grunt. All you could muster after a long day of questions. 

“Don’t worry, not much further now.”

~~~~~~~

Food and fire certainly made traveling through the woods much more enjoyable. The three of you sat around a small campfire eating a soup that Halitt had prepared. Now was a perfect time to learn more about this world. 

“So…” you began “the monsters of this world, where are they located?”

Halitt and Pyritta stared at you and glanced at each other.

“Everywhere really, just very spread out. Why do you ask?” said Pyritta. She appeared to be a bit uncomfortable with the questioning. She was making minimal eye contact and seemed more interested in her dinner than answering you.

“Just curious. And they’re all female? The demonic energy made them all into succubi?”

Halitt’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about demonic energy?”

“Oh, the elves told me.” You lie. Clearly this was a sensitive topic.

Halitt and Pyritta resumed eating in silence. You cringe internally at the fact that you probably just killed any chance of a good conversation for the rest of the meal. Maybe you should ask about something else.

“If there are demons, there must be a divine counterpart, right? Something like a god, a Chief God or something?” you ask, trying not to sound too knowledgeable about the world.

“Yes, there is actually. In fact, she is exactly as you name her, the Chief God. She rules over a small pantheon of gods, and had been fighting the Demon Lord in all his or her forms since the dawn of time.” said Pyritta. Strange, she didn't look all that reverent of Her. Her smile was forced and her answer sounded suspiciously rehearsed.

“But it isn’t as polar as it sounds.” said Halitt. “The Demon Lord is reported to be a benevolent and wise ruler by her followers, and the Chief God is known for her swift and brutal justice. Many would say that the Chief God is more cruel than the Demon Lord. Monsters themselves are quite kind. It’s actually a- YAH!”

The man’s monologue was cut short as something caused him to leap into the air. His bowl clattered to the ground spilling its contents into his lap.

“What’s wrong?” you ask.

“Oh? What? Nothing, haha, nothing. Must have been a bug or something, haha…”

You look over at Pyritta but she was staring daggers at her husband. 

“That being said, you should stay away from monsters.” Said Pyritta through gritted teeth. “I’m sure that if you encountered any it would cause all sorts of PROBLEMS.”

“Oh, yeah. No, no problem. I’ll make sure to avoid any if I see them.” you say. Were monsters really such a taboo for these people? If they were why did Halitt acknowledge that monsters didn’t kill people?

Probably because they were educated. The common peasant may not have been able to see through the Order’s propaganda, but a university professor of anthropology and human histories would probably be able to pull away the curtain. 

Once again, it was up to you to save the conversation.

“Where are we going exactly?”

Pyritta turns her attention back to you and regains her cheery demeanor. 

“It’s a lovely little place called Stream’s Edge. A small town, but so quaint and cozy. I’m sure you’ll love it there!”

“And it’s safe?”

“Very safe. The guards are very well trained.” Said Pyritta.

“The slavers too.” added Halitt.

“Slavers?”

Oh right. Slavery was a thing now. Though from what you remember, monster ‘slavery’ was quickly overturned as soon as the new master was alone with his slave. It also meant that even married monsters might try to catch you to make a quick buck. 

“Was slavery not very common on your planet?” asked Pyritta.

“No, it wasn’t. It was viewed as an abhorrent and unforgivable practice. The only people who practiced it were uncivilized nations, crime lords, and buisness owners who forced people to work for them without proper pay.”

“Oh, is that so? So you must not think very highly of it…” said Pyritta. You stared at her and she squirmed in her seat.

“Like I said, only rapists, murderers, and sociopaths practiced it. It was one of the worst crimes in my opinion.” you said.

A drop of sweat rolled down Pyritta’s forehead.

“Well, we don’t see too much of the slavers anyways, ha ha. And besides, they really only go after the monsters that are invading human territories.” said Pyritta.

“That’s true. We only see them in town on rare occasions, and the monsters they do capture are all nasty and violent!” added Halitt.

“I see.” 

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. Why don’t you go get some sleep; you’ve had a long day!” said Pyritta.

“And another long day tomorrow.” said Halitt.

“Alright, I’ll just pitch my tent over here then. See you in the morning.”

~~~~~~

You lay in your tent looking up at the fabric canopy. Sleep eluded you; there was something about this journey that rubbed you the wrong way. It seemed like Pyritta and Halitt were trying to keep many aspects of this world under wraps. But why? Maybe this was how humans behaved over here. But the more time you spent with them, the less they seemed like ordinary people. Something about the way they both glanced at you. It was an almost predatory look, but hesitant as well.

Being a meal-ticket wasn’t such a bad fate, so long as these two just wanted to live off the royalties of the books they wrote about you. But from the looks they gave you, especially when they thought you weren’t looking, you suspect that you won’t be signing biographies for money in this world.

The faint sound of a voice rose above the natural ambiance of the jungle for a moment. It was Pyritta’s voice. Just a piece of garbled noise spoken in a language you couldn’t understand.

You roll over and take the amulet of articulation out of your pack. Stepping out into the cool night air, you wander into the forest near their tent to relieve yourself. From behind a tree, you can make out a heated conversation between Halitt and his wife.

“-annot know about monsters. What were you thinking!” said Pyritta.

“He has a right to know, he’s going to find out eventually.” said Halitt. 

“We need to know how dangerous he is. You may not be able to tell what we’re dealing with, but I can. He’s going to-“ Pyritta’s voice cut off. 

Silence. Only the chirping of insects and the wind rustling the leaves of the canopy could be heard

You could hear them whispering to each other, but it was inaudible. You could hear the sound of canvas moving.

“Anon?” the tentative voice of Pyritta asked in a hushed tone.

Shit. Thinking quickly, you stuff the amulet into your pocket.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry I was going to the bathroom.” you said, now back to speaking English.

You can see Pyritta’s silhouette move through the tent flaps and take a few steps towards you. Her features are impossible to make out in the dark.

{“Oh, it is you. That’s a relief. Did you… hear anything?”}

It sounded like a question. “I don’t understand.” you say. Some of the first words that you had taught the elves and later the professors. It sure came in handy.

{“No amulet hmm? Never mind then.} Gued Niket.”

With that she shuffled back into the tent. You returned to your own bed, and thought about what you had heard.

~~~~~~

As you awoke, you let out a groan of exhaustion and frustration. Sleep had eluded you for most of the night, but not because of any nefarious implications based on what you had heard. 

Shortly after you had returned to your tent, the couple had begun about of loud and passionate lovemaking that had gone on for what felt like hours.

Crawling out of the tent on all fours, you see Pyritta and Halitt happily humming away as they prepare breakfast. How do they do that?

“Guhh mornan Anon!” said Pyritta.

Grumbling, you pull out your amulet and slip it on so as not to have to endure an entire breakfast of broken English.

“Did ya sleep well?” asked Halitt.

“Yeah. Like a rock.” You answered.

Pyritta and Halitt glanced at each other.

“I’m sorry?” asked Halitt.

“I said ‘like a rock.’” you reply, this time a bit more harsh than you intended.

“Anon, rocks don’t sleep in this world.” said Pyritta quietly.

You almost choke on the biscuit you were eating. It takes a few moments of coughing and laughing to clear your throat enough to talk.

“They don’t on my world either. It’s just an expression meaning that I slept well.” you say.

The duo instantly brighten and laugh as well. 

“How fun! Extra dimensional human sayings!” said Pyritta.

The three of you talked and laughed at some of the more bizarre human sayings. Soon, you were back on the trail.

~~~~~~

You marched through the forest behind Pyritta. It was midday by now, and you were starting to get a bit hungry. 

“Hey Pyritta, do you have any jerky in your pack?” you asked.

“Sure, here.” she unslung her pack from her shoulder and pulled out a piece. Turning towards you she held it out to you. You reached out to take it, but it fell from her hand. 

“Whoops, oh well. It’s still safe to eat, right?” you ask picking up the morsel.

Pyritta was staring into the woods behind you. The color had drained from her face and she was completely focused on something behind you.

Turning slowly, you attempt to see what has your guide so spooked.

Nothing.

“Pyritta” you whisper, “What is it, what do you see?”

She stands motionless beside you. Halitt appears next to her and unsheathes a machete. You all stand there for a moment in silence.

When Pyritta finally speaks, you actually jump a bit.

“I must have been mistaken. I just thought I saw something. Come on, let’s keep moving.” she said in an uncharacteristically stern tone.

Halitt begans to move again, but this time Pyritta gives you a little push. You begin walking after Halitt with Pyritta now behind you. The pace Halitt is setting is much faster than before. Now you’re actually a bit scared. Even if this is MGE, you didn’t want to just be jumped by the first thing you see. What if it was a monster you found disgusting? The image of a giant slug crossed your mind and you shuddered. Good thing you had magic now. As long as you can see something coming, you stand a good chance of escapin’ a rapin’. 

“Anon, one thing that I neglected to tell you is that you must refrain from masturbating.” said Pyritta.

“I know.” you reply. You had relieved yourself a few times in Oreath, but after learning the nature of your new surroundings, you decided it would be prudent not to leave heaps of spirit energy lying around to attract every monster in a five-mile radius.

“Beca- wait, you know?” asked Pyritta.

“Yeah, semen is the source of spirit energy. It would be a beacon for all the monsters nearby.”

“Did the elves tell you that too?” asked Halitt. You couldn’t tell if his tone conveyed genuine curiosity or sarcasm.

“No. I know that semen contains spirit energy. You said that they were all part succubus, so I figured they would be attracted to semen.”

This time there was no response. The mood was now dour and tense. You looked behind you to see how Pyritta was reacting. She had fallen a few paces back and was looking over her shoulder. You turned your attention back to Halitt, who was now leaving you behind with his newfound celerity. He hadn’t sheathed his machete.

~~~~~

Dinner and camp were set up as the sun began to vanish beyond the horizon. At the moment you were helping Halitt prepare some stew with various provisions. Pyritta was walking around the perimeter of the camp allegedly collecting wood. You get the feeling that her slow and deliberate walk around the camp was not truly to collect kindling. As she walked, she would move to the other side of certain trees and pause for a moment before moving on. Halitt watched her wordlessly as she meandered around the tents and fire pit.

When Pyritta was behind a particularly thin tree, you could see a brief flare of red light. It was instantaneous and dim, but recognizable in the fading light of the late day sun.

“What was that?” you ask.

Halitt leaps to his feet and raises his machete. Pyritta leapt into the circle with a tight roll and takes up some sort of martial art pose.

“Where is it. What did you see.” said Pyritta. It was a question, but the tone she used was flat and cold.

“I didn’t see any monsters, I just saw the glow from behind the tree and wondered what you were doing.” you say in a calm voice.

Pyritta stiffens. “Oh, that? I was just collecting wood. You must have seen the sun behind me.”

“No, it wasn’t the sun. You just used some kind of magic on that tree didn’t you?”

“No, you’re mistaken! I didn’t use magic.” insisted Pyritta.

“Can you use magic?”

Pyritta opens her mouth as if to answer, but shuts it quickly. She looks over at her husband who makes a subtle nod towards the forest.

“Excuse us a moment.” Said Halitt.

The pair of professors step out of earshot and begin a heated argument. You can’t eavesdrop this time; their guard is still up as they know you are wearing your amulet. After a few minutes, they returned to the fire. Pyritta fidgets for a few moments before clearing her throat.

“Ahem. Well, yes Anon, as a matter of fact I can use magic. But only a little, itty, bitty, tiny amount that isn’t really good for anything.”

“Were those wards you were putting up? To hide my presence?” you ask.

Their jaws drop and they stare at you for an uncomfortably long time.

“How do you know what a ward is…” asked Halitt softly.

“You said there was no magic in your realm.” said Pyritta.

Shit. You can’t let on exactly how much you know about this setting. All you need from these people is magic training so that you can go out into the world and find a wife. Knowing how the order treated monsters, telling others about your insatiable desire to copulate with the sworn enemy of their god was probably a one way ticket to the guillotine. Good thing that you could just tell any lie you want as long as it involved your world. In this case, you could even tell the truth.

“In my world, magic wasn’t real, but it was thought to be real in ancient times. Many magical concepts from my world are bound to have parallels in this world. We had curses, wards, sigils, charms, and spells, but they were just fantasy. I just guessed what Pyritta was up to based on the pattern she was making around the camp.”

Their eyes narrowed.

“I see.”

“How interesting.”

Clearly they were not satisfied with your answer.

“So you know a bit of magic, can you teach me?” you ask.

“NO!” shouted Pyritta. Halitt clamped a hand down on her shoulder and scowled at her. Her own hands flew up to cover her mouth. “I mean, I can’t. I just no so little about magic, I’m really not qualified to teach you anything.”

“Not even a simple ward? I might need that to keep myself safe from monsters.”

“No Anon. That’s final.” she glared down at you. You weren't used to seeing her this angry.

You mutter an apology and go back to preparing the stew. How much more of this could the three of you take? For all their jubilance, the professors were very mistrustful of you. And now you knew for certain that they were deliberately hiding information from you, you no longer trusted them. What were they hiding? Why was it so taboo to talk about monsters? Why was Pyritta so insistent that you not learn magic?

The three of you toiled away in silence, the resentment towards each other growing.

~~~~~~~

Night fell on the tiny camp. There were no carnal noises emanating from the other tent. In a way, you miss the way the couple’s lovemaking drowned out the noise of the forest. Any way you cut it, it was spooky. The knowledge that at any moment you could be dragged out of your tent and dragged off into the wilderness never to be seen was enough to keep sleep at bay. With a sigh, you roll over and exit the tent to empty your bladder.

Approaching a tree, you undo your fly (just a button in this world) and relive yourself. As you finish, you redo the button and let out a yawn.

As you open your mouth, a silvery streak flies out of the darkness. A warm, wet sensation fills your mouth as something lodges itself at the edge of your throat. The slime dangles down your chest in a grotesque tail that leads to the wad in your mouth. You gag and reach up in panic to pull the foreign body out of your mouth. But as you reach up and grasp the wad of goo, your hands become glued to the paste. As you tug and grunt, a single thought distinguishes itself in the panicked turbulence of your mind. 

This is spider silk.

Craning your head back, you look up just in time to see another rope of webbing descend upon you. This time the silk forms a loop over your head, adhering itself to your shoulders and neck. With a jarring tug, you leave the ground and fly skywards at a dizzying pace. Frightened as you were, all you could think about is how strong this woman must be to haul you up this fast. 

Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, just sticking a piece of cloth in someone’s mouth was not very effective. A good scream came from the throat. Just wrapping a bandana around someone’s head with a little clasped in their teeth was about as effective as using a pencil as a deadbolt. But with the wad of sexy string™ in your mouth, all you could do was wretch and gag. Whoever this was, they certainly knew what they were doing.

“Ahh, there you are my little treat.~”

The hair on your neck stood straight up. The voice was just above you, though you were twisting to much in your bindings to get a decent look at your captor.

With a final jerk, you sail up and over a large branch and into a thick web hammock. Your back is now securely attached to the tensile fibers. The faint sound of chitin on bark sounded from above, growing louder and louder until a hulking mass was standing before you.

“Ooh, just look at you. I’ve been waiting DAYS for this.~ To bad that bitch saw me, otherwise I'd take that gag out and let you scream properly.” she said. Her voice was husky and deep; oozing condescension.

You struggle to free your hands from the wad of silk sticking out of your mouth, but only succeed in gluing your elbows to the mat. You don’t know if you could use magic like this, and there was no way to find out. If you could cast some sort of spell without using your hands, you risked tearing the webbing and falling to your death. Your hands were stuck to the gob of webbing in your mouth, meaning that any spells cast from your palms would just hit you in the face. You would have to think of something else.

The arachne lets out a little giggle that would have been cute had she not been trying to sexually assault you.

“What a strange being you are. “No magic in your realm,” “in my world magic wasn’t real,” ”how do you know about magic…” could you really be from another world? I was skeptical at first, but looking at you now…” she scuttled forwards and grabbed your chin “you are a truly unique specimen. I haven’t ever heard of a human that looks like you. Perhaps those idiots you are with are not as insane as I believed them to be.”

You hadn’t been able to get a good look at her before, but you could now see that she was every bit as enchanting as the encyclopedia would have you believe. A sharp, shapely face, flawless porcelain skin, ample breasts, and a head of long, light hair that cascaded down her shoulders as she looked down at you.

She squeezed your face, forcing your cheeks together. “No matter, whatever you are, you will do nicely.~”

Reaching up, she undoes whatever binding was holding up her clothing. Her bare breasts flop out, with her nipples hardening in the cool air. She leans down and plants a kiss on your lips. Her slender arms wrap around your neck, gently cradling your head. You thrash violently underneath her, but her spider-half slams down onto you. Honestly, you didn’t hate arachne. Not your favorite, but you had thought about it from time to time. But this was moving too fast for your tastes. You were fine with brutal rape as long as you had an idea about the girl’s personality prior to the event. Even if the encyclopedia did romanticize random snatch and grabs, you wanted to be sure that the girl who was pinning you down was someone you could love, not just lust after.

“Oh my, such vigor!” she said in mock surprise. She pulls her hands out from behind you and forces you to look at her. Pressing her forehead to yours, she leans in so that your noses touch. Her eyes are just inches from your face. Hot breath spills over your face. You stare back into her cinnabar-colored eyes. Her mouth opens in a mirthful grin, showing of her sharp teeth.

“Keep struggling.”

Don’t need to tell me twice lady.

You resume flopping about underneath her. She stopped most of her teasing, now only letting out light moans as she rests more and more of her body weight on your writhing form. Fuck, she was getting off just by laying on you.

Wait, of course! In your panic you had forgotten all about the thing that was going to get you through these turbulent times; an unhealthy amount of knowledge about this world and its inhabitants! Arachne were notorious sadists, and love prey that struggles. So all you have to do is lie still.

Ceasing your spasms, you lay panting underneath the spider-girl. She lets out a little ‘hmm?’ and lifts herself off of you.

“Is that it? How disappointing. We'll have to work on your stamina at home. No matter, on to the main event then.”

Using a lithe finger, she undoes your pants and pulls off of your legs. How she was able to separate the fabric from the web was a mystery. She briefly inspects them before tossing them down to the forest floor.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make a pair just for you when I take you back to our house.~” she said with a smile.

You stare at her from your gossamer bindings.

She leans in again and hooks her fingers into your underwear. She bites her lip as she eases it down your waist. With a small tug, your cock springs free. You both gasp, her in shock, you from the feeling of the chilly night air coming into contact with your erection.

“I knew it! I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the submissive treat I always dreamed of. Already erect just from feeling my webbing on your skin.~” she says. Her eyes (all of them) are totally focused on your member. You do your best to keep your eyes staring straight ahead and show no emotion, but your breath catches as she reaches out and wipes away a bead of precum from your erection.

“If you really are not from this world, then you may not understand, but you smell absolutely delectable.” she dips the finger into her mouth and shudders her eyes rolling back into her head.

She pulls her finger out of her mouth and pounces on you. “Gods, what a taste! Just how much spirit energy do you have stored in those balls?”

You stare through her.

“Not going to give me a guess? Well then, let’s find out.~”

Keeping her torso near level with yours, she reaches down to your dick and gently grasps it. You stifle a gasp.

“Mmm, that couple down there must have told you that if you don’t struggle I would let you go.” she said giving your shaft a few pumps.

You have to bite down hard on the webbing in your mouth to keep from making any noise.

“But you know what we monsters say?” she leaned in so that her lips were pressing against your ear. “The harder the penis, the bigger the orgasm.”

Your brow furrows involuntarily in confusion. What the hell did she just say?

“It means that people like you, the ones who try to resist and deny the pleasure…” she tightened her grip on you and began to increase her pace. “Are the ones who are most satisfying to break.~” She gave you a small kiss on your cheek.

You clamp down on the webbing with everything you have. You gulp.

Her adroit ministrations stopped, and she hovered her face over yours. She let out a haunting, sadistic laugh.

“What a noise that was! Do you think that I wouldn’t HEAR that? That I wouldn’t see how hard you clench your jaw or how rapidly your lungs draw breath? That I cannot hear your heart hammering away within your chest? That I could not feel your cock twitch and squirm in my grasp as it begged for release?!”

She straddles you again, this time laying on your chest and pressing her breasts into your chest. Fuck those things are soft.

“Let’s make a deal hmm? I’ll forgive you for taking your beautiful, caring, fiancé for such a fool, and in return…” she shifts off of you and takes a few steps backwards, bending down to smother your erection between her tits. 

“I want you to SCREAM for me.~”

She begins to pump her chest vigorously. This is just too much for you. With a strangled scream, you resume thrashing and let loose all the repressed vocalizations you had been holding in.

“That’s it, good boy!” she cooed. “Such an obedient plaything~ I can’t wait to drag you back and-“ 

The arachnid’s wedding vows were cut short as a bolt of red light struck the branch next to her. There was a flash of light and bits of bark showered the two of you. 

“What the-?!” The spider dismounted you and fled around the tree.

“ANON DON’T WORRY WE’RE COMING!” shouted Pyritta. 

“FUCK OFF WHORE, YOU ALREADY GOT YOURS! LET ME HAVE MINE!” screamed the arachne.

Another bolt of energy flew up into the canopy. You really hoped Pyritta was lying when she said that she didn’t know magic. If any of the bolts hit you, you would fry. If the web caught fire, you would still fry, but in a much more painful fashion. Certainly a grim situation when falling to your death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you.

The arachne leapt from the tree and landed deftly amidst the branches of another. Despite her size, she was surprisingly light and agile. As she sidled around the side of the tree she vanished from view. 

The fighting continued for a few minutes. You hoped things were going well for the Marrics. As the sound of explosions and curses carried on, you became aware of a steady huffing and puffing below you.

“Anon, it’s me. Don’t worry I’ll get you out.” said Halitt.

Thank God. You were worried that it was some random monster come to poach you while the others fought. 

Halitt hauled himself up onto the forking branch with a grappling hook and a length of rope. With a few swings of his machete, you were freed from your bindings. Carefully, the two of you separated your hands from the webbing in your mouth. All the chewing and saliva must have taken a toll on the strands, as the ball had compressed to the point where you could force it out with your tongue.

“Come on, we have to move.”

You began to climb down the rope when you heard a shriek from above you.

“SHE’S COMING BACK!” shouted Pyritta.

“ANON GO FASTER!” shouted Halitt.

“I CAN’T! I’M NOT AS FAST AS YOU!”

Gripping the rope with your knees, you attempt to slide down the rope instead of just inching down. It’s only a marginal increase to your original pace. 

Suddenly, the arachne appears in front of you from behind the tree. You’re not proud of it, but you screamed in surprise as the monstrous woman rounded the trunk. And boy was she mad.

“YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME?! I’LL RAPE YOU INTO A COMA! YOU’LL NEVER SEE THE SUN AGAIN AFTER I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!” she shouted. 

Her eyes were bulging, and her teeth were grit in determination and rage. She was practically frothing at the mouth. There were numerous cuts on her body and several small burns. She reached out as you dangled helplessly on a thin length of rope. Halitt was too far above you to do anything. 

Nothing for it then.

Reaching out with your nondominant hand, you bend the world around you to your will. Force.

A blue light flashed from your palm, causing the arachne’s eyes to reflect the brilliant light for a brief instant. A tremor shook your body and there was a thunderous boom. The arachne screamed as she flew off of the tree and landed in a heap some thirty yards away amidst the leaf litter. A resounding success, you had managed to not obliterate your surroundings this time. 

You hug the rope tightly as the wave of vertigo rocks you. For a minute, you just gently sway with the rope as it returns to rest after being moved by your spell. Silence returns to the forest. 

“Anon?” asked Halitt from above you.

“Yeah…”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

You resume your decent down the rope to the forest below.


	12. Chapter 12

It is already midday by the time you awake. Groaning, you roll over and crawl out of your tent. Halitt and Pyritta don’t even glance at you as you seat yourself on a log. 

After you had blasted the arachne, Halitt and Pyritta had hastily broke camp and moved to a more secure location. You surmise from the baggage that some of the supplies had been left behind in the hasty retreat. After all, the Marrics had carried you to this new location. You had been too dizzy to walk; all you could remember was the two of them supporting you between themselves as your feet uselessly dragged beneath you. 

Wordlessly, you ladle yourself out a bowl of soup, and tear off a chunk of bread. It isn’t long until you finish your portion and go back for a second helping of soup. Just like in Oreath, the use of magic had left you ravenous.

“Don’t eat too much. We still have at least two days to go.” said Pyritta. She was facing away from you and didn’t even bother to look at you. 

You finish the bowl of soup and set it with the rest of the dirty dishes.

“Are you mad?” you ask. The Marric's attitudes had been wearing, and you were in no mood to listen to another day’s worth of passive aggressive comments and snide remarks. If they had just bothered to teach you more about this world, you wouldn’t have to go blasting spider-women out of trees. 

“You know Anon? I am a bit angry.” Pyritta set the bag she was packing down and strode towards you. “Because I get the feeling that you’re hiding something from us. You seem to know an awful lot about this world, and I know for a fact that the elves didn’t tell you most of it. For a person who hadn’t even seen magic until two or three weeks ago, you seem to be quite knowledgeable on the subject. And the monsters? How do you know about the various energies and how they interact? You’re asking questions you shouldn’t even know to ask. And every time I try to get some answers out of you, you dodge the question.”

“Py, stop, let’s just get go-“ 

“I’M dodging the question?” you say cutting Halitt off. “What about YOU? You two NEVER give me a complete answer. I don’t even know what direction I’m traveling in and yet you REFUSE to teach me any practical skills or knowledge.”

“Magic isn’t practical knowledge!” said Pyritta.

“It seemed pretty practical last night! Or in Oreath when I saved the town!”

“IT ISN’T, AND YOU’RE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!” shouted Pyritta.

She was standing over you now. You stand up as well and stare back.

“I don’t know what you’re hiding, but I WILL find out.” said Pyritta.

“..."

You trudge back to your tent and pack your things. You can hear Halitt sigh behind you.

~~~~~~

The day’s march was slow thanks to your fatigue. By nightfall, you were still a day and a half away from Stream’s Edge. The slow pace was made worse by the lack of conversation. Hardly any words were spoken the entire trip. Tonight, it was just you and Halitt eating next to the fire. Pyritta was bathing in a stream nearby. She said she needed to bathe, but you knew it was probably just a way to avoid another silent meal.

You had been thinking hard about everything that had happened on the journey. Pyritta was surely contemplating something similar. Why was she so irritated by the fact that you knew things about this world? It was admittedly uncanny that an extradimensional being was taking to this new reality like a fish to water, but shouldn’t that be a good thing? So what if you knew about monsters or the Order or the Chief God? She should be happy that you were adjusting so well. The Marrics didn’t seem like the kind of people that would keep you in the dark to keep you dependent. They seemed like genuinely good people. So why were you under such scrutiny?

You stared into the fire.

“Hey Halitt, what am I going to do when we get to Stream’s Edge?” you ask.

He looked up from his slice of bread. “Well, I guess you can do whatever you want. We aren’t going to hold you back.” 

“I mean what’s the plan for me. Do I just learn about the world and settle into society?”

“If you want.” 

“Can I learn magic?”

His brow furrowed just a bit. “Sure… if you want, long as it can help you find a job or help people.”

Halitt opened his mouth to speak but faltered. His lips pursed together in a worried crease. 

“Hey Anon, what types of magic do you want to learn?”

The question was innocent enough, but you could tell that he was worried about your response.

“A bit of everything. Alchemy, healing, maybe some elemental magic, and the magic that I’ve been using already; the kind that lets me blow stuff up.”

He winced a bit at the last part.

“Are you and Pyritta worried about me using that magic?” you ask.

Halitt sighs and prods the fire with a branch. “Combat magic is very limited in its… uses. If people know that you can use it, they will try and use YOU. Your whole life will be relegated to hurting others.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not from this world. I won’t join an army just because some king tells me to. I don’t have any allegiance to these nations.”

“It’s not the nations I’m worried about…” mumbled Halitt. 

“…Is it the Order?” you ask.

Halitt put his elbow to his knee and rested his chin in his palm. “Yeah. If the Order finds out what you can do, they’ll whisk you away to become a weapon. It’ll be nothing but violence for the rest of your life.”

“You don’t support the Order?”

He stiffened. “No! No, I do support the Order. I just don’t think that we should go murdering and pillaging monster villages just because they exist. If they don’t harm us, then why not just let them be, you know? Putting an army out there just puts more men at risk.”

“Sure, if the monsters just want peace, and they don’t harm people, why bother doing anything to them?”

Halitt’s face lit up. “Exactly! They just want to live their lives, same as we do. They aren’t the man-eating monsters the Order makes them out to be. If people would just li-“

“My my, what a riveting conversation.” 

Pyritta emerged from the twilight and grabbed Halitt’s shoulder. “Just be sure not to lead Anon astray with your THEORIES.”

Her hand tightened on Halitt’s shoulder and his face shifted in pain.

“R-right, of course, those are all just theories. Just don’t use magic until we say so, ok? Respect the Order and the Chief God, but don’t let them turn you into a tool for political gain.”

Pyritta released her husband’s shoulder. “Halitt is right. If the Order finds out that you can use combat magic, they’ll turn on you in a heartbeat.”

“Then I’ll just refuse to serve them.” you say.

“The Order will drum up some false charge and throw you in jail until you capitulate.”

“They do that?” you ask.

Pyritta nodded. “Quite a few of the Order’s forces are people who were ‘caught’ and arrested with the guards as the only witness and an Order arbiter overseeing the trial. The ‘criminal’ is offered a choice between a life in prison or indefinite service to the Order.”

Holy fuck. You were really missing the Bill of Rights. “Well then I’d just stay in jail.”

Halitt looked away and Pyritta rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t last a week in an Order prison. Chances are you’d be dead before you even reached your cell. That’s where all the worst of humanity is sent. And the ones who were innocent when they enter aren’t so innocent when they leave. Those fortresses are a nightmare.”

“Yeesh…” 

“Even if you did manage to survive,” continued Pyritta “the Order would just torture you until you agreed to serve. A petty street thug may not be worth turning to the cause, but someone who can use combat magic would definitely get a visit from the ‘negotiators’.” 

Ok well, that IS a pretty good reason not to use magic. Unless you learned how to keep yourself from passing out after using magic, you would blast one convict to bits only to wake up with a ruined asshole.

“The combat magic I’ve been using… how dangerous is it? That arachne from the other night, is she… dead?” you ask.

Pyritta raised an eyebrow. She was curious but you couldn't make out any other sentiments in the expression. 

“No, I checked to make sure she wasn’t going to give us any more trouble. She was still breathing, but some of her legs were broken and she had some nasty gashes.”

That’s a relief. You didn’t want to kill her. In the heat of the moment you had forgotten that at the end of the day she was just a lonely woman looking for a husband. Just like all the mamono. It was one thing to keep them away, but no one deserved to die for trying to find love.

“Thank goodness. I was worried that she died in that fall.”

“She didn’t. You seem quite sympathetic for the person who tried to rape you…” Pyritta’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, I don’t think she needed to DIE; she was probably just lonely. She learned her lesson, and I got out unharmed. The situation was resolved without any deaths.”

“Indeed. However, monsters are the enemy of the Chief God, and should be dealt with accordingly. Do not let your compassion kill you. She was still staring at you with narrowed eyes, but her gaze didn’t feel as harsh as her face implied. 

Pyritta let out an exaggerated yawn and looked at Halitt. “I don’t know about you but I’m ‘turning in early’~”

Halitt almost choked on the food in his mouth as he stood up. “Meh shoo. Guh nigt Anun” he said with a mouthful of food.

“Yeah, ‘night…” you said as they bolted into their tent.

~~~~~~

You lay awake thinking. Again. It seemed like every night you followed this ritual. What were Halitt and Pyritta hiding? What was life like in Order territory? What were monsters really like?

From the sound of it, the Marrics were no fan of the Order. Honestly, you weren’t too surprised to hear about the dirty deeds of the church. Considering the enemy the Order was facing, they needed to enlist powerful soldiers through any means necessary. Did they know that Pyritta was combat capable? She almost fought off the arachne single handedly.

And why was Halitt’s sympathy towards monsters so infuriating to her? Every time monsters were brought up, Halitt lit up and began to ramble, only to be shut down by Pyritta. If she hated monsters, why was she so critical of the Order?

Your train of thought is interrupted by a soft moan. There they go again. Thankfully they now attempted to keep the noise to a minimum after you had emerged with bags under your eyes several days in a row.

You groan and try to block out the sound with a folded shirt. How long would they go tonight you wonder?

Wait. How long indeed…

No matter how long the Marrics went at it, they never seemed sleep deprived the next day. Could it be…?

You don your amulet and crawl out of the tent. With delicate steps, you slowly creep towards their tent. 

It was all coming together. The strange dissonance between Order adherence and monster sympathy, why they were reluctant to tell you anything. Why Pyritta was able to fight an arachne despite being a middle-aged professor. Why three people went through rations so slowly. Why the Marrics were so worried about you using combat magic for the order. 

The canvas of the tent gently swayed and shook in time with the moans coming from within. Grabbing the edge of the tent flap, you took a deep breath and tore it open.

“AH-HA!” you shout.

Pyritta was riding Halitt cowgirl, with his hands sinking deep into her soft rear. Her hands were on his chest and she was mid-thrust as you burst into the tent. 

She screamed and her hands crackled with energy. A bolt of magic shot out from one of her hands searing the bedroll. You fell backwards and scrambled away so as to avoid any errant bolts. One of the supports for the tent was knocked loose and the canvas began to fall. There was a puff of smoke and more screaming as the panicked couple tried to figure out what was happening.

This may have been a mistake.

Halitt managed to crawl find the way out first, still dripping with fluid and partially erect. He gently held up the canvas and tried to aid Pyritta as she thrashed inside. 

Finally, she poked her head through the tent flap and gasped for air. Seeing you, she crawled out and charged you. “ANON WHAT THE FUCK?!” 

But she wasn’t the Pyritta you knew. This woman had a similar face, but far more beautiful. Her bare breasts were at least a cup size larger than before. Horns jutted out from her scalp. Small wings protruded from the small of her back. Several places on her immaculate skin were covered with intricate tattoos. As much as you tried not too, your eyes were forced to her bouncing breasts and dripping sex. Behind her you could see a thin tail whipping around. With all your will, you snap yourself out of the trance.

“I FUCKIN’ KNEW IT!” you retort.

Pyritta pauses, and slowly the gravity of the situation dawns on her.

“KYAAAAHH!” she let out a shriek while attempting to cover her horns and wings. She made no attempt to cover anything else. Hopefully she put a shirt on or something, seeing her naked was giving you a raging hardon. Damn this no fappin' rule.

Halitt leapt in front of her and put his hands out in a defensive posture.

“Anon we can explain! This isn’t what it seems to be!”

“So I HAVEN’T been escorted through the woods for days by a succubus and her husband?”

“Anon, no, it… it isn’t… we aren’t bad people!” pleaded Halitt. Why was he posed like that?

“Alright, you have thirty seconds to explain who you REALLY are and where we’re going. I want some answers about this world; no more bullshit! I’m tired of being lied to!”

“Ok! Ok, just calm down. Let me just get some pants.” said Halitt.

Halitt rummaged around inside the tent and emerged with some pants and shirt for himself and Pyritta. She was sniffling on the ground, curled up with her wings wrapped around her. The two dressed themselves as you began to ask questions.

“I asked you who you are. Give me an answer.”

“I’m Halitt Marric, and this is…”

“Magnara.” murmured the succubus.

“Where are we going? I doubt we were actually headed to Stream’s Edge. Does that town even exist?”

“Yes! It IS real, and we were taking you there!” Magnara said. She lowered her head in shame, drawing little circles in the dirt with her tail where she sat. “We never lied to you, we just… kept things secret.”

“And what, were you just going to auction me off once we get there? Find a monster to sell me to?”

“NO! Anon please don’t think of us like that. We only want to help you! You don’t know how things work here. There are people who really do want to take advantage of you!” said Magnara.

“You mean the Order.”

“Not just them, universities would want you to study you, nobles would want you to fight for them, people would make you work for scraps… you wouldn’t be able to make it on your own.” said Halitt.

"We were hoping to eventually move you to a demon realm where you could be protected." said Magnara.

“And monsters would take me the second I set foot into a mamono settlement...”

“There is a… high chance that you would be ‘wed’ soon after your arrival, but it would be much better than being a slave to humans! Monsters care about their husbands, they really do!” said Magnara.

“Yeah! Just look at me! I’ve been married for years and I’m fine! Better in fact. Monsters don’t actually eat people; that’s just Order propaganda to keep curious people away from mamono territories.” said Halitt.

“I know that. I want to know why you lied to me this whole time? Why not just tell me about the wonders of monster society right away and just take me to a mamono city?”

“If you entered Stream’s Edge and started praising monsters, you would be executed. They may be hostile to you anyways if they learn that you’re from another planet. We needed you to be able to fall right in with the Order’s teachings so that you wouldn’t draw any unwanted attention, Order or otherwise.” said Halitt.

“And we had to be sure that you were… safe. After what you did to the amazons, we couldn’t just let some violent battle mage wander into a crowded city. This trip was a good opportunity to gauge your demeanor and disposition. To make sure that you aren’t some sadist or psychopath.” said Magnara.

“And?”

Your question catches Magnara off guard. “Huh?”

“Do you think I’m someone who doesn’t belong in monster society?” you ask.

Magnara looks at Halitt and they pause. “Well… we aren’t sure yet. I understand that the incident in Oreath was you protecting your friends and yourself, but you were far too forceful with the arachne. Yet you showed remorse for your actions later. And now you’re threatening us for answers… we don’t understand you.” said Magnara cautiously.

Damn. You hadn’t really thought about that. From a local’s point of view it would seem that you’re some sort of homeless wizard with a penchant for blowing up women who try to get in his pants.

“Oh…”

There was an awkward silence as you recalled all the strange things you’ve done and said.

“You seem disappointed. Why?” asked Magnara.

Welp. Time to level with them.

“So this may sound crazy-“

“You’re an extradimensional traveler who is somehow sexually compatible with the people of this world. Nothing you say can be too crazy anymore.” said Halitt.

“That’s true. So anyways, there’s some uh… ‘books’ in my world that match this world to a T. Same setting, same monsters, same plants, animals, energies, you name it. I’ve read them, most of them anyways, and so I have a vague idea of how everything works here.”

They stare at you. Please say something.

“So… people in your world somehow observed ours?” asked Magnara.

“No, I’m not sure how the author got the idea. It wasn’t by means of magic or science as far as I know. It may have just been coincidence. The reason it was written was to harvest cash from horny {weeaboos} on the {internet}.”

“That’s impossible! There’s no way that she could have written down every detail about this world with no connection to it!” said Magnara.

“That’s why I was trying to get a feel for this world. I had to know that the monsters here were the same as the ones in the books. And the author is a guy.”

“The monsters in the books, what are they like?” asked Halitt.

“A lot like her I imagine.” You say pointing to Magnara. “Beautiful women who used to be monsters under the reign of the last demon lord. Now monsters just seek a husband and live happy lives with their true love.”

“So, the books describe it as a very idyllic setting.” Said Magnara pensively.

“Yeah.”

“So when you thought that this may be the same world the books describe, you wanted to make sure that you weren’t going to get eaten. Were you trying to suss out where the monster villages and towns were with all those questions?”

You nod. “I wanted to find a nice place to live, and make sure that I avoided any of the monsters I didn’t like.”

Magnara’s face lit up.

“Does, does that mean you want to live with monsters?” she asked. Her tail was swishing back and forth behind her.

You smiled. She was so cute, even caked in dirt and half dressed. 

“I do. Though I don’t know who I want to marry yet. I want to actually know who I’m marrying, not just be abducted and raped.”

Mangara let out a little squeal and fluttered into the air.

“This is perfect! I was worried that we would have to indoctrinate you over the course of years! But you already WANT to go! I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone, and for you to find a wife, and for her to take you right there in the middle of a crowded plaza while everyone watches and…”

“I think what she’s trying to say is that we are truly happy that you are willing to give monsters a chance. I promise that as long as you’re with us, no mamono is going to get their hands, claws, talons, or tentacles on you. Unless you want them to that is.” said Halitt.

“Thanks. So, are we alright?” you ask.

“Yeah. We’re fine.” said Halitt.

The two of you nod as Magnara lazily loops around the two of you, continuing her dictation of you meeting your wife.

“That begs the question, are we still going to Stream’s Edge?” you ask.

Halitt rubbed his cheek and hummed. “Well, if you really are on going to live with monsters, then we can go north to Admaz.”

“Alright, let’s do it!” you say. This is it, your ticket in! From here all you have to do is cherry-pick the monster of your choice. Too easy.

“We’ll still need to stop by Stream’s Edge to get supplies and a wagon.”

“A wagon sounds nice.” 

You both chuckle.

“Mags, baby, are you listening?”

“-en you’ll go ‘ahn~, baby, I love yo-‘ but she’ll close your mouth and say ‘Shut up and prove it~’ and force her tongue down your throat while you moan and squirm and she’ll pick up the pace and say ‘This time together~’ and then y-“

“Mag.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going to Admaz after we restock some supplies. What do you think.”

“That sounds like a plan. I can go back to teaching at the school.” said Magnara as she hovered over you and Halitt.

“Don’t you already teach at a school?”

“This is different!” exclaimed Magnara. “This school puts the college in Stream’s Edge to shame! The school in Admaz teaches magic, not just staple academics.”

“Can I enroll?” you ask.

Magnara bit her lip. 

“We’ll see when we get there. It isn’t my decision to make anyways.”

“Fair enough. I’m just glad I won’t have to live in Order controlled territory.”

“It’s settled then. I should also let the school and city know that you’re coming ahead of time so that you aren’t just pulled out of the carriage on the way in.” said Magnara.

No wonder the Order was so strict. Humans really were nothing but a prey species to mamono. Even the docile ones were cunningly designed to seduce you. Physical strength wasn’t worth much in a world where your surprise suitor could probably bench twice your weight. Without magic you’d be washing some amazon’s thong by now. Not a horrible fate, but not exactly what you were looking for. Hell, now that you knew where they lived you could go find them any time.

“You should get some sleep, Anon. We still have a lot of road to cover.” said Halitt.

~~~~~~

At last your party reached Stream’s Edge. A medieval town if ever there was.

The town proper was surrounded by a palisade roughly 15 feet high. Outside the wall you could see a swath of crumbling stone work expanding out into a field of scrub brush and stumps. Inside the walls you could see the tips of a single shingled roof, belching a lazy column of smoke into the blue sky. Several other smaller plumes drifted from different parts of the town. In the distance, you could see several large buildings, with stone walls and steep roofs. If you had to guess, the entire population of the town could not be greater than 150 people. 

“Here we are!” said Magnara as you stepped out of the tree line.

“What do you think Anon? Doesn’t sound like the cities on {ersh}.” said Halitt.

“Not the big ones no, but we still had small towns. People lived like this, just not where I was from.”

“Most of the population of in this world lives in cities. There are smaller agrarian towns scattered in between, but about 80% of all mamono live in major metropolitan areas.” said Magnara.

Magnara had reapplied her polymorph or illusion spell and was back to her human self. Thankfully, you hadn’t picked up the habit of calling her by her real name yet.

The three of you approached the gate and Halitt gave a wave to a guard in the tower. The figure waved back and shouted something at someone beyond the wall.

“Remember Anon, just let us do the talking and follow our lead.” said Magnara.

You nod and take off the amulet of articulation. The plan was for you to keep a low profile and go straight to the Maricc’s house. It would take some time to gather all the necessary provisions and materials for the next leg of the trip, and the Mariccs wanted as few people to know of your existence as possible. Ideally, all that would remain of your existence was a rumor.

You raise the hood on the cloak that Halitt lent you and draw the front together.

The gate swung open and a man in simple chain hauberk covered by a tabard sauntered out with two other men to greet you.

{Pyritta! Halitt! Good to see you again. I see that you brought a friend.} said the man.

{Captain Felsper! So kind of you to come greet us. This is Anon, we still don’t know where he’s from.} said Magnara. She gave you a little nudge. {Say hi Anon.}

You raise your head a bit and say hello.

The lead guard grins. {Woah! What was that? Is that an accent? He looks like he’s lived in a cave.}

{No, that’s just his language. We haven’t been able to get much out of him. He doesn’t like people much either.} said Halitt.

The man bent at the waist. {Hey, come on I’m nice. I’m captain Fellll-sperrrr.} he said placing a hand on his chest.

You squirm as he continues to stare at you in silence.

{He perks up once he knows you.} reassured Magnara.

{Oh well. Say, did you have any trouble in the forest? I know you had the elf to protect you going there, but were there any problems coming back?} asked Felsper.

{None. The elves gave us advice on how to return.} said Halitt.

{Figures they’d know a safe way back. We do still need to check you though.} said Felsper.

The two men standing next to the commander, captain, or whoever the leader was stepped past him and approached Halitt and Magnara. Holding up what looked like rosaries, they began to chant. The charms shimmered and then returned to normal. One of them moved over to you and preformed the same ritual. Nothing happened.

The man gasped and took a step back. All three of the townsmen drew their weapons.

{What the hell?! What the hell did you bring here?! Is that even human?!} said the Felsper.

{Please calm down! He isn’t from around here, he doesn’t react to demonic energy the way we do. He’s not a demon or anything, look!} said Magnara pulling off your hood.

The action took you by surprise. The daylight made you squint as you looked at the contingent before you. You take a tentative step behind the Marrics and trust that they can sort out this misunderstanding. One of the men took out a small flask and uncorked it.

{Make him drink this. If he’s human it won’t hurt him.} he said. 

Magnara caught the flask, and judging by how gingerly she handled it, the contents were bad news.

“Anon, drink.” commanded Magnara.

Taking the flask, you give it a sniff. It smelled faintly of lavender. Tipping the flask back, you swallow a mouthful of the contents. The liquid was fruity and refreshing, but left a ferric aftertaste in your mouth. Wiping your mouth with your sleeve you hand the flask back to Magnara.

{See? Human. Now please put those swords away, you’re making him nervous.}

Felsper sighed and sheathed his sword. {Very well. But please be careful professor Pyritta. You too, professor Halitt. That… human can stay for now, but he better not cause any trouble. The people of Stream’s Edge come first, not your studies.}

{Trust me captain, it’ll be like he was never even here.} said Magnara as she strode through the gate.

~~~~~~

For the next few days, you remained cooped up in the Marric’s house. It was a simple stone structure with a wooden roof, comprised of a kitchen, sitting area, reading room, and a sleeping loft. There was also apparently a root cellar where as Magnara had put it “mamono things happen.” You had already decided that it would be best for your sanity not to enter. Instead, you passed the time by working on your Common language literacy.

Your studies were split between translating, memorizing, learning new things, and recording various things in English that you were worried about forgetting. Now that you had no means of looking up anything about your language, it would only decay and devolve unless you preserved it in writing. You also wrote down facts about your life, family, and world. Surely, they would never fade right?

At night, the Marrics would return home and the three of you would cook dinner. You knew Magnara was a good cook from your time in the woods, but her camp cuisine was nothing compared to a meal prepared with proper ingredients. Most importantly, all the animosity between you had dissipated. Now the meals you shared were once again filled with chatter and conversation instead of sullen silence.

After three days, the Marrics had finalized their purchases and plans. Tomorrow you would be heading to Admaz.


	13. Chapter 13

With preparations finished, you and the Marrics leave Stream’s Edge less than a week after you arrive. 

The trip would be divided into two legs; riding with a caravan, and then making the final leap to Admaz. Monster attacks were more frequent further away from the capital on the southern shore, so most travelers formed wagon trains to reach their destinations unmolested and with a full inventory.

Thankfully, the Mariccs had purchased a four-person wagon for the three of you, which meant that you would not have to interact with any strangers.

Even though the sun had not yet cleared the horizon, the city was humming with activity. The wagons were lined up in front of the north gate and the merchants and passengers were loading up the last of their wares and belongings into crates and saddlebags. Peering out of the small kitchen window, you could see a few spectators standing near the Marric’s house, apart from the travelers.

“Looks like a few people heard about you.” said Magnara appearing beside you to gaze out the window.

“They’re up awfully early to be chasing some rumor.” you mutter.

“This is Stream’s Edge. Nothing happens here. We hardly see any new faces save those who come to attend the college. Rumors, folklore, and drink are all these people have to entertain themselves.” she said. 

“We should be going. The caravan master is about to give the order to depart.” Said Halitt stuffing the last of his clothing into a pack.

You raise the hood of your cloak and step out into the morning mist flanked by Halitt and Magnara. Even with your head down and your hood up you can feel the stares of the townspeople as you pass by. As agreed, the Marrics shepherd you through the crowd of people swiftly and without conversation.

You reach a wagon marked with a sloppy number (you don’t recall if it says 16 or 18) and Halitt signals you to enter. These wagons were (to you) quite strange; a hybrid of covered wagon and stage coach. The passenger wagons had two walls, and a small overhang that allowed hammocks to be fastened to them. Between the two walls was a cloth sheet. The front and back however, were merely a set of curtains. By opening and closing the curtains, one could change the wagon from covered wagon to sleeping quarters. You had insisted to Magnara that the designers should have just committed to a stage coach and made the thing a box, but she had dismissed you saying that it would be impossible to get luggage in and out. The driver sat on a small bench in the front of the wagon, exposed to the elements except for a small awning. 

Using a wooden peg near your knees, you hoist yourself into the wagon.

The wagon was about ten by seven feet, with a canopy of about six. On either wall there was a thin bench underneath two raggedy hammocks. You were thankful that you wouldn’t have to be sleeping under anyone, as it appeared that the lower hammock’s occupant would be just a few inches from the bottom of the upper hammock. You seat yourself on a bench near the back as Magnara and Halitt enter the wagon.

The wood creaks as the company’s driver seats himself on the bench. Peaking his head in through the front he introduces himself.

“Morning folks, thanks for choosing to travel with us. I’m Routhier, you need anything you just let me know.”

“Thank you, Mr. Routhier, we certainly will.” said Magnara.

The sound of turning wheels and hooves ahead of you signaled the start of your journey. Soon, the wagon in front of you slowly pulled away and Routhier snapped the reins. Your wagon pulled through the gates of Stream’s Edge and out into the wilderness.

~~~~~

Sadly, this trip was far more vapid than your trip through the forest. Conversation topics were scares as you didn’t know enough about this world to keep up a conversation, and you couldn’t talk about your world with Routhier a few feet away. Practicing writing was out of the question as there was no way to keep the page or your hand steady on a rocky dirt road. Reading was equally impossible. You didn’t even attempt to open any sort of text for fear of motion sickness. The first hours were spent in uncomfortable silence.

“Awfully quiet back there.” remarked Routhier.

“Yes, we’re just a bit tired, that’s all.” said Magnara.

“That’s understandable. So what business do you have in Charraville?” he asked. 

“Just visiting some friends.” 

“Hmm. Here I thought you may be visiting family. Is that spooky lookin’ fella your son?”

Halitt laughed. “No, he’s just coming to visit. He’s a good friend of our and he has business in Charraville as well.”

“Issat so. Say young feller, you don’t talk much do you?”

“Don’t take it personally. He just doesn’t get along with people he hasn’t know for a long time.” interjected Magnara before you had a chance to speak.

“Well then maybe you can learn to trust ol’Routhier before the end of the trip eh?” said Routhier. He chuckled and went back to driving the cart. 

~~~~~~

The day passed in silence broken by Routhier interjecting stories or random topics of conversation. As strange as the old man was, you were grateful that he broke the monotony of travel. The wagon train stopped briefly for a midday meal and to swap horses, and then continued on. At night the wagons were circled, and camp was established. Magnara and Halitt were baffled by your excitement, not understanding why you were so eager to “camp in a real-life wagon circle.” You would have to tell them all about the American west when you arrived at Admaz. 

The smell of stews and meat cooking over the fires made your mouth water.

“We’ll go get you some food. You just stay here.” said Magnara.

“Can’t I leave? I could just walk around the edge, I wouldn’t even get close to the fires.” you said.

“Too risky. Especially with your pale skin. You practically generate light.” said Halitt.

You mumble about how you’re not THAT pale, but accept their decision. Maybe later when the journey was almost over you could risk being seen. You sigh and lean back against the wooden wall. Bored out of your skull.

“Ow, stop! That hurts!”

The sound of a scuffle outside your wagon gets your attention. Well, at this point anything would have been more interesting than counting the fibers in the canopy. You peak your head out to see what’s happening. 

Two children stare back at you. A boy and a girl, probably no more than nine or ten. The girl looks a bit younger than the boy. Both are covered in dirt, and wearing well-worn clothes. The boy has both of the girl’s arms held above her head. They take a few steps back, looking up at you fearfully. 

“Hey, w-who are you?” said the boy shoving the girl behind him and taking a defensive stance.

“Stop it Aeurge, Mamma said not to talk to bad people!” said the little girl hiding behind the boy. The words seared your very soul.

“I’m not a bad person." You protest. "And don’t hurt your sister.” you said. You disappear back into the wagon, hoping that the children will just forget about you and leave you alone.

“Yeah, don’t hurt me.” you hear the little girl say.

“Shut up, Mamma said not to listen to bad people either.”

“He’s not a bad person cause he knows you hit me.” 

“Well he’s a DUMB person cause you started it!”

“MISTER, BIG BRO CALLED YOU DUMB!” 

“S-SHUT UP! Seriously, stop! I’m sorry just don’t tell him.”

This back and forth between siblings was feeding your very soul. It was so simple and innocent. Yet it reminded you of your own family, and your chest contracted painfully at the memory of all the people you loved; now beyond your grasp and without closure.

“Does your chest hurt mister?”

You jump as you notice the girl’s head peeking through the canvas slit. You lower your hand from your chest and relax.

“Mamma says that if your chest hurts you need to drink water.”

“That’s your stomach, dummy.” Said the boy appearing beside her.

“Your stomach is in your chest, idiot.”

“Hey, kids, you shouldn’t be in here. Go find your parents.” you said, eager to remove the prying eyes and loose lips of children from your presence.

“Mister you look funny.” said the boy.

“Are you sick? Is that why you look so pale and your chest hurts?” asked the girl.

“No, I’m fine. Please leave me alone.” you said.

“Come on, if he’s sick I don’t want to be sick.” said the boy.

The children disappeared from the flap, and you could hear their little feet scurry away from the wagon. 

Soon, Magnara and Halitt returned with food and water. You dug into the tray of beans, meat and soggy vegetables in earnest. If you had been forced to eat the meal on earth, there may have been hang-ups. But your experience with starvation had really opened you up to trying and appreciating new foods.

“Good work today Anon, I know it’s boring but it’s better than being the center of attention.” said Magnara.

“I know. I just wish I had a deck of cards or something to pass the time on the wagon.” You said through a mouthful of molten beans.

“Hey, I bet you could teach us all kinds of human games! I’d love to see what human card games are like.” said Halitt.

You talk about some of the various human games for a time until it’s unanimously decided to go to sleep. Crawling into the thin hammock, you drift off to sleep after a long day of nothing.

~~~~~

Stone walls, stone ceiling. A stone house in a city of stone. Your people carved it by magic over generations. Now it was being destroyed. The house you had lived in, your father had lived in, and his father had carved from the stone was being attacked. The invaders leer through your door. They do not enter, but the fire does. The stone is blackened. And you are burnt to cinders.

~~~~

“Anon, wake up.”

You bolt upright from sleep. Magnara staggers back as you pant.

“Are you ok?” she asked “You looked like you were having a nightmare.” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. It was just a bad dream.” You say brushing the sleep from your eyes. 

“Did you see any women in it?” asked Magnara with concern in her voice.

“No, it wasn’t a nightmare. No one did anything sexual to me. Just… a bad dream.” you said.

“Well, let us know it anything like ‘that’ does happen. We need to make sure you aren’t being stalked by anything.”

“I will. Don’t worry. If something is wrong I’ll know it.” you say reassuringly.

A horn sounded somewhere near the center of camp and the caravan resumed its journey north.

~~~~~

Days went by in a similar manner. Wake up, move, break for lunch, move, camp, sleep. The only thing keeping you from going insane was watching the fantastical landscape pass by. The children had also come by a few times to “make sure you were feeling better,” and give you a bundle of herbs that their mother had given them. You insisted that you weren’t sick, but accepted the gift anyways. The next time they came by you gave them a crude paper airplane to thank them. The parchment was heavier than normal paper, so it didn’t fly too well, but they loved it anyways and ran off into the night shrieking with glee. Cute, but you were looking forwards to reaching Charraville.

Magnara said that the destination was only one and a half more days away. You would finally be able to get out and stretch your legs besides a few trips to the bathroom every night. Reclining in your hammock, you settle in for the night.

~~~~~~~

The next day, your travel habits were disturbed for the first time. Around noon, just after lunch, the wagons were abruptly brought to a halt. There was shouting and a few screams from the wagons in front of you, and the caravan guards raced past your wagon faster than you had ever seen them move.

“What’s happening!?” you ask. If monsters were attacking because of you again, you didn’t know if you would be able to handle the guilt. A scene of the children who visited you being dragged away from their mother while the caravan burned behind them played out in your head.

“Anon, stay calm. Just let the professionals handle it. Please.” said Magnara.

You got up, ignoring Magnara’s protests and poked your head out the front of the wagon.

The wagon you were riding in was near the middle, making it difficult to see what was happening.

“Y’all get back in the wagon if ye don’t want trouble. This’ll be over soon.” said Routhier. The mans lively face was stern and emotionless. 

The curiosity is too much to bear. Shifting around, you manage to see far enough past the wagons to see what has stopped the caravan. 

Centaurs.

A herd of the beast-women had blocked the path of the caravan. Strangely, they didn’t seem to be attacking.

Magnara grabbed you by the scruff of your neck and hauled you back inside.

“What are you thinking!?” she hissed. “This is just a toll collection. Don’t make trouble and there won’t be trouble, got it?”

“Are they going to attack?” you ask.

“No, they don’t attack humans often. And when they do it tends to be individual instances. No, this tribe has a loose understanding with humans. They keep the roads free of more violent monsters and the Order doesn’t exterminate them. They also collect taxes from caravans and travelers. They know they can get away with it as long as they don’t take too much.” said Halitt.

“What happened to proud warriors? I thought centaurs were more noble than extorting travelers for money.” you said.

“They feel entitled to a cut since we save so much on security because of them. And the slavers also play a big part in their mannerisms.” said Magnara.

“Are they afraid of slavers?” you ask.

“No, quite the opposite. The slavers have a nice racket going with them. With the centaurs being territorial and fighting monsters all the time, the slavers managed to convince them that it was only right that they should make a profit from it since they were inconvenienced. They gave the centaurs some top of the line weapons and equipment, and in exchange the centaur prisoners are now sold to the slavers at outrageously low prices.” said Halitt.

“That’s horrible. The slavers just got a pack of centaurs to do their dirty work for them?”

“It’s worse than you think. One of the reason that the slavers and the centaurs are on such good terms is the slavers willingness to supply the centaurs… other needs.” said Magnara.

“You mean men…”

She nods. “Remember how I told you that the Order will often imprison innocent people on false or exaggerated charges? Well if the jailer or warden can make a quick gold by selling them off or letting them “escape” then they won’t hesitate. The slavers guild picks them up and good, innocent men are carted away to monster bidders. Every couple of weeks the slavers will take out a new ‘shipment’ of men for the centaurs to peruse.”

“How do the slavers get away with it?! Why doesn’t anybody do something?”

“The slavers hold all the cards. They have the best weapons, armor, connections, and as a guild more money than any other institution. The Order officials don’t give a damn what happens to anyone who can’t pay for protection, and the guild has bribed, blackmailed or intimidated every official in New Lescatie. People have spoken out against them before, but they always end up missing or… dead.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Clearly Magnara was distraught over recounting the dirty deeds of the slavers. You were upset to learn that the Order was even more corrupt than you had imagined. Though she had said NEW Lescatie. Does that mean that you aren’t close to the original? You still don’t know how this whole planet looks, even after all these years of lurking. The books described the general layout of the continents, but never gave a specific answer to what was exactly where. For now you would have to wait. Asking a question like ‘what continent are we on’ was a bit to conspicuous with Routhier sitting just a few feet away.

A horn sounded from up ahead and the caravan began to move again. Soon the wagon in front of you pulled away and Routhier bid the horses onwards once more.

As you trundled past, you pulled the canvas flap at the back aside to look at the centaurs as you passed. They were busy pouring over a pile of crates, but you did make eye contact with one of the ones watching the caravan. Her brow furrowed and her eyes grew wide, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She started to trot along with the caravan but stopped when another centaur called out to her. You closed the flap in a hurry and sat back down on the bench. Magnara was right, it was best to just stay in here for a little bit longer.

~~~~~~

As night fell on the last day you settled in for another night in your wagon. Magnara and Halitt were off getting food and chatting, but you knew that they would return shortly. 

You heard someone approach and begin to open the tent flap.

“Did you get some of that roast? It smells really good ton-“ you stop short as a woman pokes her head through the tent flaps. You quickly adjust your hood and tilt your head down.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Vishne. I believe you’ve been playing with my children.” she said.

“Huh? Oh! Oh, them. I didn’t do anything to them. They just kept coming back.”

She giggled. “I know, I wasn’t accusing you of anything. I was just happy that they found someone to entertain them. There aren’t many children on the caravan after all. I made you this pie, it’s not much but I wanted to give you something for looking after them. May I come in?”

“Uh, I-I don’t know if the others I’m travelling with will be alright with that. They don’t like people coming in…”

“Then it’s a good thing they aren’t here.” she said as she climbed into the wagon and seated herself on the bench opposite of you.

You were about to protest but were silenced by the sight of pie. It was a small one, only about six inches in diameter, but that was 94.25 inches cubed pie than you had consumed in the last month. You take it without thinking and rummage around in the supplies for a fork.

“So, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Anon.” you say, taking the first bite of pie. It was warm and flaky, filled with something that tasted similar to blackberries. Delicious.

“That’s a funny name. Where are you from?”

Shit. You went pie-blind and got suckered into a conversation. After all this time you spent bored out of your skull, only now did you realize that crafting an elaborate alibi for your entire life would have been a good way to pass time and get yourself out of situations like this.

“You know, uhh, north…” you say waving a hand in the general direction of your travels.

“My, my, the children said you were pale, but I didn’t expect THIS.” She said grabbing the hand you waved with. “Are you sure you’re not sick?”

She tried to bend down to get a better look under your hood, but you turned away and gently pulled your hand back.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” you could see her figure slump in your peripherals.

“It’s alright. I appreciate that you’re concerned about me. Thank you for the herbs you sent the other day.”

“My pleasure! That recipe always used to make my husband feel better. Now that he’s gone, I just don’t have anyone to care for anymore…” 

Fuuuuuucccckkkk. You just wanted the pie damnit. You had trouble understanding people under normal circumstances; how were you supposed to comfort a widow from a different dimension?!

“I’m sorry for your loss…” weak, but all you could think of.

“Oh, it’s alright. I’ve managed. Mostly thanks to the kindness of strangers like you.” she said wiping her eyes and giving you a smile. She may not have been as beautiful as a monster, but she had a simplistic grace about her that put you at ease.

“Your children are good.” you said. You don’t really know how to compliment children without sounding creepy.

“Yes, they’re my whole world. I don’t know what I’d do without them. I’m just worried that they may need more than I can provide as they get older. If at all possible, I would like to have them educated.” she said. She picked up an errant sheet of paper that you had been using to practice writing and translating. Sheeeiiiittt that had English on it.

“Are you a scholar?” she asked reading over the page.

“Kind of. I’ve been studying for a few weeks, but I’m still not literate yet.”

“Really? Your symbols are very good. And these strange characters, are they perhaps something to do with magic?” she leaned back. “My children seem to think that you are some sort of wizard because of your cloak and the paper toy you gave them. But surely you’re not a wizard right?”

She was feigning indifference. That was clear. No way you were falling into this trap.

“No. I’m not a wizard. Not a scholar, not a wizard, just a traveler. That’s all.”

There was an uncomfortable pause.

“May I see your face?”

The question surprised you. You raised your head a bit to see her looking at you earnestly.

“This whole time, I haven’t seen your face… My daughter says that you’re very handsome. I… just wanted to see for myself.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

She sprang from the bench and pulled back your hood before you could react. Not that you could anyways with your hands around the pie. This pastry was starting to become more trouble than it was worth. Vishne gasped as your face was illuminated by the dim lamp light in the wagon.

“I didn’t believe Weissie when she told me, but you really ARE different. You must be a wizard after all!”

“No! I’m not. Please, you need to leave…” 

This was complicated. If this woman gabbed to the rest of the caravan, you would attract unwanted attention. If you told her not to tell anyone, she hold her compliance over your head in exchange for… whatever she wanted.

“You aren’t from around here are you.” said Vishne taking a seat next to you on the bench.

“I’m form the north!” you insist.

“No... You aren’t like other men. You aren’t gruff or abrasive, and you listen to my problems and help my children even though you didn’t think that you would get anything in return.” she scooted closer to you. “And you say that you aren’t a wizard or a scholar, but I see wisdom and intelligence in those queer, blue eyes of yours.”

“Seriously, you’re wrong! I’m just someone moving north!”

She closed the distance between you two on the bench and draped her arms around your shoulders, pulling you into an embrace and forcing you to look at her. Damn, she was actually pretty strong.

“Even if I am wrong about all that, one thing I’m certain of…” she to straddle your legs with hers, so that her knees were on the bench on either side of your legs. Her arms retracted, and her hands moved up your neck to cup your face in her rough callused palms. The sensation was strange; hard, worn, flesh that caressed you in a manner that made them feel smooth as silk. “Is that you are most certainly handsome~”

You swallow hard.

“I could use a man like you in my life. You’ve already proven to be so good with the children, and I’ve been so lonely since my husband was taken. Is it that you don't find me attractive?” she said with tears in her eyes.

“N-no! It’s not that! I-I just can’t be with anyone right now! There are things I have to do, and they have to be done alone.”

“Isn’t there ~anything~ I could do to make you stay? Please, it’s been so hard on my own…”

She started grinding against your crotch. Not that she needed too, you were already fully erect. The only time you had been able to beat your meat had been in Stream’s Edge. Now you were once again pent up and perpetually on the verge of an erection.

“Looks like you’re hard too~” she said rubbing you through your cloak. “How about I show you why staying with me will be a ~rewarding~ choice~”

“GET OFF OF HIM!!”

Vishne pulled away from you as Magnara and Halitt entered the wagon with your dinner. 

“Get out! Get out right now!” shouted Magnara.

Vishne clicked her tongue in annoyance and collected her things. Magnara stood watch as she slowly skulked to the back of the wagon.  
“Mr. Anon, I am serious. Please consider my offer. I… really do need you in my life…” she said. As she left you could hear her walk away crying.

“What the hell Anon! I told you not to let anyone into the wagon, and ten minutes later I find you about to be raped by some slag because she baited you with pie!” said Magnara.

“I didn’t think she would try to seduce me! I thought she just wanted to thank me for playing with her kids!”

“Not a chance Anon.” said Halitt as he pulled himself up into the wagon. “Widows are always looking to fill the husband slot. It’s hard to be a single mother, so they try to find a man who won’t leave them for someone else and has promising prospects. Sadly, they don’t enter into these new marriages out of love. They just use the new husband to support themselves. Once you have a child with them, they have you for life.”

“That sounds a lot like my world. Obviously she was trying to seduce me, but I think that she was happy that I was kind to her and her children.”

“Nope. She was so interested in you because you’re so spineless. You would have gone along with whatever she said. She also probably thought you were a mage; a well-trained mage brings home a hefty salary.” said Magnara. 

“So there was no love in that whole encounter?” you ask.

“None. Trust me Anon, I of all ‘people’ know what love is.” said Magnara.

Well, it would be prudent to trust the succubus you had known for a few weeks rather than some random lady who just tried to molest you.

“You need to be more careful Anon. We can’t guard you all the time, and you’re going to have to be able to put your foot down and stop obvious seduction attempts like that one.” said Halitt.

“I know.” you mumble

“We’ll be in Charraville by midday tomorrow. Just keep your head down a little longer.” said Magnara.

You nod and dig into your meal. Soon the lantern is extinguished, and you drift to sleep on a belly full of pie.

~~~~~~

At last you dismounted the wagon for the last time. The ground was a mixture of muck and large stones. Whether they were paving stones fallen into disrepair or merely a product of the environment was anyone’s guess. Charraville was hardly a town at all. A few rows of two-story thatched roof buildings sat at the foot of a steep hill, with a wide main road running straight down the middle. Looking up the hill you could see a smattering of small buildings and cranes; the mining camps that put this town on the map.

“Anon, we’ll be staying in that inn over there. Grab your things and hurry over.” said Magnara.

You grab your luggage and trot over. “Oh, uh, thanks for the ride Routhier.” you say waving back at the old man.

He let out a long laugh. “I told ya’ ye’d warm up to me!”

You smirk and enter the inn.

The ceiling is low, and chandeliers are scattered haphazardly across it. The smell almost makes you gag; a bouquet of vomit, beer, liquor, sweat and broken dreams. A fire crackles in two separate fire places, wafting pungent smoke into the room when a draft stirs the flames. Gross.

A man shoves his way into the inn behind you and you stagger forwards. Magnara and Halitt are chatting with the hostess. You wander over to them and set your bags down.

“Oh! This must be Anon! I’ve been so excited to meet you! My name is Periclla!”

“Nice to meet you.”

“So, I heard all about your ‘special quest’ form Mag, did you see anything you liked on the way here, hmm?” the innkeeper leaned over the desk and batted her eyelashes.

“Huh?” you were a bit confused. What was she talking about?

“Guess not. You know, I have a daughter whom I’m sure would love to meet you~”

Oh. Oooohhhh. So that’s how it was.

“Peri, please, we have a schedule to keep. And don’t call me Mag in public.” said Magnara.

“Of course, of course, everything is in order. Tomorrow you can be on your way before the sun is up!” said Periclla beaming.

“Thanks. Here’s the money.” said Magnara sliding a pouch of coins across the desk.

“Anytime. You know I’d also be willing to clear the tab for, say, a son~ in~ law~” she said staring at you.

You feel your face grow red and quickly look away.

“Ahahah! He’s so shy! That’s too much; where did you find him?” said Periclla.

“Stop it, he’s had a hard trip. Don’t tease him.” said Magnara pulling you into a protective hug.

“You know I just can’t help myself.” said Periclla with a wink. “Here’s your key, you’ll be in rooms six and seven.”

You thank her and head upstairs with the Marrics. Your rooms were next to each other, so that calling for help would be as easy as pounding on the wall. 

You flop down on the loose pile of straw and animal pelts that was the bed. It had a musty smell to it. You tried not to think to hard about where it may have come from, or when the last time the bedding was washed.

Tomorrow, you would be on your way to your final destination. Admaz. The city where you would learn magic, find love, and make a name for yourself in this brave new world. You can’t wait.


	14. Chapter 14

You awaken to a knock on your door. Your eyes burn as you slowly open them. A thin beam of sunlight falls directly onto your face as you sit up, blinding you.

“Anon, time to get up. We’re leaving soon.” said Magnara through the door.

You tell her you’ll be down in a minute and roll to the edge of the bed. With effort, you sit up and swing your legs over the edge of the bed and start your day.

~~~~~

This is the first time you’ve eaten in public since you arrived in this world. The elves kept you quarantined in the hospital, you were stuck in the Marrics house in Stream’s Edge, and you ate with the Marrics in-between. And, well, you didn’t eat at all during your original forest expedition.

The tavern was almost empty. You and your companions sat around one of the tables in the corner eating your breakfast of bread and eggs. Both were burnt. You suspected that this wasn’t a problem for the other patrons, all of whom did not appear to be of discerning taste. A handful of sickly-looking individuals sat alone at tables with plates of burnt bread or some sort of gruel. A few were at the bar, already drinking even though the sun had only been up for an hour. You took a sip of water as you eyed the forlorn figures before you. It was sour and metallic.

“Finish up Anon, we’ll be leaving soon.” said Magnara.

You down the last bite of charred bread and stack your dishes in a neat pile. Slinging your pack over your shoulder, you step out into the cool morning.

After a few minutes, a wagon drawn by a pair of horses made its way down the empty street. A woman was perched on the driver’s seat, waving at your party as she approached.

“Hey professors, long time no see eh?” she called.

Though she looked like a normal human being, you suspected that she was a mamono in disguise like Magnara. She wouldn’t have hired a human for a trip into monster territory.

The wagon came to a stop in front of the inn and the driver dismounted.

Her face was lively and young, brimming with energy and optimism. Without even introducing herself you knew that she would be outspoken and easy going by the way she strode up to you. Her features were quite beautiful, accentuated by shoulder length auburn hair. She wore an unremarkable outfit comprised of leather and fabric. What stood out to you was that she also carried a sword. The only weapons you had seen people carrying before this were town or caravan guards. 

“Hi Chapicatus! It’s so good to see you.” said Magnara approaching her.

“Please, just Pica is fine.” said the woman giving Magnara a hug. “So, he’s the one?” she asked looking you over.

“Yep, this is Anon. What do you think? Can you get him to Admaz unmarried?” asked Halitt giving her a poke with his elbow.

“Please. With me around you could walk through the Demon Lord’s bedroom and come out unscathed.” said Chapicatus.

“I hope so. Things haven’t exactly been easy so far.” you said.

“That’s one of the reasons we hired Pica, Anon. She’s an adventurer. With her help we’ll definitely be able to keep you safe.” said Magnara.

“Don’t sweat it kid, you got nothin’ to worry about with me here.” said Pica puffing her chest out.

She didn’t look older than you, but you let the comment slide and followed the trio into the wagon. Pica snapped the reins and the horses began to move onward.

~~~~~~~

For the first time in a long time you were free to discuss any topic you wanted. The awkward secret keeping, and prying eyes and ears of humans were no longer a hindrance to your conversations. The day passed with you learning about this world, telling the others of Earth, and learning Common speech. The other three were greatly amused at your attempts to speak in Common. Pica said that you should be careful not to talk around monsters with such a cute accent.

As the sun began to set, Pica pulled the wagon off of the road and everyone set to work making camp for the night.

~~~~~

While Halitt and Pica gather firewood, you help Magnara prepare the food. Finally, a chance to ask a question that had been on your mind all day.

“Hey, Magnara…” you ask quietly. “Chapicatus is a monster, right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Hummed Magnara without looking up.

“Is it… rude to ask someone what species they are…?”

Magnara stopped cutting and gave you a funny look.

“You mean ask what kind of monster they are?”

“Yeah. Is that in bad taste here?”

Magnara laughed and went back to cutting a vegetable. “No, of course not. Feel free to just ask if you want to know. Most girls would be delighted to tell you all about their species. I thought you knew most species from those books describing our world.”

Her response confuses you. “I do. I just can’t tell when they’re glamoured up with illusion magic.”

She giggles. “Pica has her work cut out for her. She hardly needs to do anything at all. Some days she forgets to even put it on.”

“Is she a vampire?”

Magnara raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“That’s very close, impressive. She’s actually a dhampir though.”

That makes sense. You figured that Magnara would have hired someone with a little more magical oomph to protect you, but a dhampir sounded like a reliable escort.

“Does she do this for a living? Traveling between mamono and human realms?” you ask.

“No, she’s actually an adventurer. She helps keep monsters out of human settlements and escort people through the territory. She’s even raided a few dungeons.”

“Why is a mamono keeping monsters away from human settlements? Isn’t that the Order’s job?”

“Not if the settlements can’t afford it. Pica works far below her pay-grade. She loves the thrill of adventure more than the money she receives. It’s also much better to have mamono solving manono problems.”

“What do you mean?”

Magnara sighed. “When Pica ousts a rouge monster, she either convinces them to leave or beats them up a little. When the Order comes, they usually just burn everything within a square mile of the monster sighting to the ground.” 

“Oh…”

The two of you worked in awkward silence until Pica and Halitt returned.

~~~~~~

Soon the four of you were laughing and eating around a roaring fire. Pica had brought some wine, the first alcohol you had had since your arrival. It was a robust and hearty flavor, but had a strange aftertaste. It didn’t bother you too much. The wine may not even be made of grapes after all.

With an exaggerated sigh, Pica collapsed back into the grass and looked up at the sky. She wiggled and squirmed, eventually propping her head up with one arm to look at you.

“Hey, hey Anon, can you really use magic?” she asked.

Magnara stiffened.

“Yeah.”

“What can you do? Mag said you almost killed a bunch of stuff already.” said the hybrid kicking her feet a little.

“Pica! Please don’t talk about magic until we get to Admaz.” said Magnara.

“But I wanna knoooowwww!” whined Pica falling back into the grass and flailing her arms above her.

“I just kinda shoved some amazons and am arachne away.” you say.

“Satisfied?” said Magnara folding her arms. “Now can we please change the subject.”

“Fiiiinneee. But I’m gonna hear more later.” said Pica.

She stood up and trotted over to the rock you were sitting on. Moving behind you, she planted herself behind you and pressed her chest into your back. Her thin legs folded around you so that her feet were resting in your lap, and her arms wrap around your torso.

“Hey! What are you doing…?” you protest.

“Pica! Get off of him!” scolded Magnara.

“Soon, soon. I just wanna hear…” she pressed her lips against the back of your ear. “What kind of GIRL you’re chasing…”

“Huh?” you reply weakly as you try to shrug her off. Her arms tighten around you.

“Mag told me that you were looking for true love, you charmer. But I wanna know what gets you GOING. That’s what I wanna know most. Scales? Claws? Legs? Teeth? What’s she look like, your perfect girl…”

You were now violently erect. The feeling of Pica’s toned body constricting you while her modest chest gently massaged your back with every breath she took was diverting the blood you needed for answering into your dick. You let out a grunt as she suddenly squeezes you and then relaxes again. You look up with desperate eyes at Magnara.

She looks concerned, but you can tell she’s curious.

“Ooh~ Maybe someone like ME is your type huh?” said Pica as she reached down a hand to grope you. “Hey, if you tell me I’ll let you go. Come on, hurry!”

“Pica… stop it, let him go…” said Magnara. Her tone was flat and forced; she was enjoying this.

“I don’t see YOU trying to pry me off. Admit it, you want to know just as much as me!”

You try to pry Pica off of you but she’s much stronger than she looks. Her arms don’t budge as you pull at her slender wrists. 

“Magnara, get her off!” you cry as you thrash in your captor’s grasp.

“Just tell her and she’ll let go!” Magnara retorted.

You should have expected that; one of the books described matchmaking as a common pastime of succubi.

“I… I don’t know! I like a lot of them! I haven’t chosen yet!” you shout as Pica began to attack your crotch with her feet. 

Pica removes her feet from your lap and loosens her grip on your torso. You let out a sigh of relief.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Pica slipped her arms under yours and put you into a full-nelson. She leans back taking you with her until you’re lying on top of her.

“Give me a species! We’ll start from there if you’re so shy!”

“HELLHOUND, WIGHT, DRAGON, INARI, DEMON, SUCCUBUS…”

You begin to rattle off a long list of every monster you ever considered marrying. When you finished Pica wordlessly released you and you sat up panting. She got up and sat next to you, properly this time. You couldn’t help but notice that she was blushing a bit; probably because you had mentioned dhampir as one of the species you were attracted to.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding huh…” said Pica staring into the fire.

“Well, it’s a choice I never thought I’d have to make.” you said.

“Hey, I noticed you mentioned vampires in that list. Don’t go for them. It won’t end well for you. I’m not just saying that as a dhampir. You seem like a nice person; and that’s the kind of person that gets eaten alive by vampires. Not literally or sexually, but the only thing you’d be wearing is a collar, if you understand what I’m saying.” said Pica. For the first time her jovial smile was replaced with a look of genuine care and concern. 

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on marrying any girl but the one I choose. If anything tries to get between me and the love of my life, I’ve got the magic to stop them.” you said.

“Be careful Anon. Just because you have magic doesn’t mean that you can just do whatever you want. Most monster mages could easily defeat you in a magical duel.” said Magnara. You noticed that she had written what was presumably a list of all the species you had just mentioned. Several were circled, some were underlined, and some had footnotes and arrows pointing to them. 

“Well I can still hold my own against most species right?” you say posing with your hands outstretched.

“Probably not. If mamono knew that you were capable of magic, they wouldn’t charge at you headfirst. They would just wait until you were asleep or ambush you.” said Halitt. “Also, considering you have a habit of blacking out after casting ONE spell, all any monster would have to do is dodge the first blast and then drag your unconscious body away.”

That’s true. Only being able to blow things up put serious limitations on defending yourself with magic. It completely drained you, and the blast guaranteed that more monsters would be attracted to the explosion. Most importantly, you didn’t want to kill or maim anything, just make it go away. 

“Just leave the fighting to me. Normally I don’t mind if my charge wants to help me fight, but I think that a scrawny little thing like you would just end up getting raped on the spot.” said Pica.

As much as you would like to, you just couldn’t think of a good response to that. She was right. Against a capable foe, you were helpless.

The conversation wound to a close and everyone pitched their tents for the night.

~~~~~

Much like the caravan, the days on the wagon became long and boring. You enjoyed the conversations and language practice, but it became a chore after several hours every day.

Your party rolled on unimpeded for a few days before the road abruptly disappeared. The packed, barren earth that had defined the road had become rockier and unkempt as you traveled north, but now it was indistinguishable from the field around it.

“Hey, where do we go now?” you ask.

“Straight.” replied Pica.

She drove the horses onward through the tall grass. It was slow going, but after an hour or two you made out a faint vestige of a road ahead. The horse’s hooves connected with dirt again and the wagon pulled onto a new road.

“That was the territory between monster and human territories. No one lives there. Too close to monsters for humans, and not enough men for monsters to bother settling there.” quipped Pica.

“How much further until we see a monster settlement?” you ask.

“We won’t be seeing any other settlements before Admaz.” said Magnara. “The city has generously agreed to shelter and protect you. Other mamono towns may not be as… liberal with your freedoms.”

Yeesh. 

“We’ll be at Admaz in four more days. Just don’t get abducted until then, ok?” said Pica.

“I’ll try not to.” you reply sarcastically.

To bad. It would have been nice to visit some beautiful country towns along the way, but there would be plenty of time for sightseeing later. With your wife.

You daydream about dining in a tiny tavern with the woman of your dreams as the cart trundles on.

~~~~~~

The first contact you had with another monster was two days later. Another cart was heading down the road towards your party. You could see a plain looking woman driving. A troll by the looks of her.

“Chapicatus…” said Magnara.

“I know, I see her. Don’t worry, she isn’t any trouble.” said Pica without taking her eyes off the other traveler.

You hunched over and raised your hood to conceal your face. As the woman approached, she waved to the others and said hello. Pica gave a silent wave. The woman smiled, but became confused when she saw you hunched over in the back of the wagon.

“Is he alright?” she asked. She was passing behind you, and you could no longer see her face with your hood lifted.

“He’s fine, thanks.” replied Pica curtly.

The woman spoke again as your wagon passed her. Her voice slid behind you from left to right as her wagon passed.

“Are you sure? I would be happy to give him some herbs o-“

“I said he’s fine.” said Pica.

You kept your head down for a few more seconds before glancing behind the wagon. The other cart was moving away slowly into the distance. The woman was too far away to see.

“Two more days of this…” muttered Pica.

~~~~~

The next two days were just like the ones spent on the caravan. You spent all day under your hood and silent so as to avoid the interest or gaze of other mamono. Carts and travelers became increasingly frequent as you neared your destination. Pica’s stern words kept them at bay, and you wondered if she had escorted men through mamono territory before.

The hardest part about keeping your head down was not being able to look at the scenery. The further you went, the more alien the landscape became. At first it was a few errant plants, or strange terrain. But as you pushed further into what must be a demon realm, the world morphed into a strange and fantastical landscape. Beautiful and exotic plants grew in massive stands. The ground contorted in bold new ways. Through the trees you caught glimpses of strange and sometimes terrifying new beasts. Even the grass itself had shifted from a bright green to a lush, myrtle green. Pica and Magnara often had to scold you for not concealing yourself better around other travelers.

“Come on Mag, give him a break. This is his first time seeing any of this remember?” said Halitt.

“What a strange concept.” said Pica. “I can’t even imagine what this must be like for you. Having to learn about a whole new world… I wouldn’t even be able to eat without poisoning myself.”

“What’s your favorite part so far Anon?” asked Magnara.

“I like the plants.”

Pica snickered.

“The plants?” said Magnara.

“Yeah, they’re beautiful. We had beautiful plants on {Earth}, but the flora here is just so… fantastical.”

“You know, there’s an entire school of study devoted to plants at the college of Admaz. You should look into some of the courses when you apply.” said Halitt. 

“Sounds interesting. I just hope I can handle a course about plants that aren’t native to my dimension.” you said.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of mamono to help you along at every step of the way. The college will pay for food, clothing, shelter, protection, and education as long as you continue your studies and teach us about your culture. There may be some other things that they need you to do, but that won’t be for a very long time.” said Magnara.

“Maybe I can get a job to help cover expenses. I don’t want to leech off of others for the rest of my life.” you suggest.

Halitt and Magnara glance at each other. The ‘he doesn’t know’ glance.

“Just focus on studying for the first few months. Alright?” said Halitt.

You decide to drop the subject. Clearly they didn’t want you working; the least you could do is abide by their wishes. They had taken good care of you so far. Hopefully they could continue to care for you; it felt like you were getting a cold. You cough as the wagon continues towards your final destination.

~~~~~

“There it is: Admaz.” said Magnara.

You prop yourself up a bit to see the city coming into view on the horizon. A fresh bought of coughs racks your body and you lie back down.

You had been sick for the past day and a half and your condition was only worsening. You were constantly coughing and sweating, and hadn’t managed to eat anything in more than a day. The herbs that the Marrics had given you had done nothing for the fever.

“Don’t worry Anon, we’ll get you some medicine in Admaz.” said Mangara.

“Yeah…”

“Hey, look on the bright side: no monster is going to try to rape you while your sick.” said Pica.

Magnara glared at her but you let out a hoarse chuckle. You certainly wouldn’t miss traveling this way, but you would miss the Mariccs and Pica. Magnara said she would go back to teaching at the college, but you had no idea how much you would see of her. 

You watched the sky pass over you. This demon realm was a strange place. Clearly Admaz was a center of concentrated demonic energy. The plants and land around you was now absolutely different than when you were in Stream’s Edge. But it wasn’t as dark as you would have expected. It wasn’t the absence of light so much as it was a muting of all brightness. You could look across the world without squinting. Shadows seemed to be a bit bigger than usual, as if there was more than one light source creating the silhouettes. You suspected that if you took off your clothing that you would not be burnt by the gentle rays cast from this strange sun. As you stared into the clouds, a figure wheeled overhead.

The speck circled the wagon a few times, far above you. Soon another joined it and the duo circled together.

“Magnara…” you croaked pointing to the figures.

Your companions all looked up.

“They’re here!” said Magnara. She gave a wave and the figures shot out of the sky with incredible speed.

With thunderous flaps the winged women slowed themselves and hovered near the wagon. Dark Valkyries.

“Hello, professor Magnara. I see that you have brought the human. You did well to get this far.” said one.

“Thank you. It’s such a relief to see you here. I was worried that if we got much closer he may be discovered by some unsavory individuals.” said Magnara.

“Ufufu… Who says he didn’t?” said the other Valkyrie as she moved to hover over you.

Pica shifted in her seat.

“Don’t scare him! He’s been through a lot and he’s sick right now anyways.” protested Magnara. 

“Fret not, our commander is waiting for us near the gate. She will ensure you reach your destination unhindered.” said the first Valkyrie.

You coughed hard and retched. The fever was getting worse by the minute. It was getting hard to think.

“… We shall see to it that medical personnel are prepared to examine and treat him…” said the Valkyrie. She nodded her head towards the city and the other sped off through the sky.

“How is he?” asked Pica.

“Worse. He needs some real medicine soon. Whatever he has, it isn’t a common illness.” said Halitt.

You closed your eyes and tried to relax. Soon, you heard the thunder of hooves approaching you. A new voice called out.

“Hail, Magnara. We have arrived to escort you. I hear that your charge is unwell.”

You couldn’t see who it was, but the way they spoke conveyed authority and respect. It was probably the guard captain.

“Yes, he’ll be alright once we get him some medicine.” said Magnara. She sounded less sure of herself every time she said that.

With a hacking cough you spat out a few flecks of dark, gooey liquid. You stared at the specks in the crook of your arm before Halitt wiped your mouth.

“What the…” he muttered.

You coughed again, and more liquid sprayed out of your mouth. 

“What is it?” asked Magnara.

“I… I think it’s demonic energy…” said Halitt.

“What is?” asked Pica.

“What he’s coughing up. It looks like gobs of demonic energy.” said Halitt rolling a bead of goo between his fingers. Eww.

“Is that what’s making him sick?” asked Pica.

“It shouldn’t! I-“

Halitt’s explanation was cut short by a stream of vomit leaving your mouth. You rolled onto your side and did your best to prop your body up, spewing a stream of dark, thankfully tasteless sludge from your mouth.

Your vision faded and your head swam as another torrent of slime exited your body. It made you feel better though. A strong vertigo came over you, and you slumped over into the puddle of vomit as voices shouted above you. They were shaking you, trying to tell you something. But you just wanted to rest. Whatever wanted they could tell you when you woke up. You open your eyes one last time to see the arch of the city gate flying past you overhead. The city. You were in the city. What was it called again? You’ll ask when you wake up.

~~~~~~

You don’t feel so good.

Maybe regaining consciousness was a mistake. You still felt like shit, but at least the pain was bearable now. Your stomach had settled and your fever had gone down. Opening your eyes, you inspect your surroundings.

It looked like a hospital. You were on a comfy bed, propped up by some pillows. The sheets and were smooth and soft, and the mattress was pleasantly plush. Sun streamed in through the window, falling on a room full of empty beds and nightstands that continued to the only door into or out of the room. The exception to the uniform pattern of furniture was broken by a table next to your bed. The table had apparently replaced the bed to your right, which was shoved hastily against the next bed in the row.

The architecture was unusual for a hospital though. A high, vaulted ceiling allowed for massive windows and ornate chandeliers. It was a very Gothic looking building. Just where had they taken you?

“Hello?”

Your voice seemed smothered by the vastness of the room. Where was everyone?

A faint rhythm began at the end of the room where the only door was. As it grew louder, you surmised that it must be a large monster to make so much noise from so far away. The door burst open and a flustered unicorn stared at you.

She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her hair was tangled and messy, and her clothes were wrinkled and stained. As she rushed towards you, you could see that her eyes were bloodshot.

{You’re awake!} she said.

Looking down you see that the amulet of articulation had been removed from you in your sleep. They had also changed you into some pajamas. You hope that you didn’t miss anything by being asleep…

{Ah! Right! Uhh… I think the amulet is around here somewhere…}

She began rifiling through the stacks of papers and books on the table. After a few moments she produced your necklace. You reached out for it, but she simply slipped the amulet over your head.

“Better?” she asked.

“Yes. Thank you. Where am I?” you asked.

“You’re in the Admaz College of Sorcery’s medical ward. You were quite sick when you arrived. And quite lucky the college was here. I don’t think a regular physician could have treated you.” She said scribbling something on a piece of paper.

“What was wrong with me? Did I catch some disease?”

“No; you were poisoned.” She rang a hand-bell on the table. “I doubt anyone has experienced what you went through in decades. A century perhaps.”

“Someone poisoned me?!” you shouted.

“Not intentionally. Your body had an adverse reaction to the ambient demonic energy of the demon realm. Normally men metabolize demonic energy without any complications, and overtime adapt to larger and larger doses. Since you came from another dimension, your body went into shock from the surplus of DE.”

The door burst open and a succubus stared at you with wild eyes.

“He IS awake! Wow!” she said, her tail waggling behind her.

“Please go fetch him some food and water. Make sure the meal is prepared to the specifications we set.” said the unicorn. The succubus hurried off closing the door behind her.

So you were poisoned. Just like someone coming into contact with a virus they had never encountered before.

“Now that I’m here, that means I’m safe, right? I won’t die just walking out into the street?” you said.

The unicorn pursed her lips and fidgeted. “We managed to stabilize you, and we’re doing everything we can to force your body to adapt to the DE, but you are still very vulnerable to it’s forces. We had to have a local wight scoop out your tainted spirit energy and use some Order artifacts from a museum to help purify you. The whole ward has been sealed off to minimize your exposure to demonic energy.”

A bead of cold sweat rolled down your forehead. “Am I trapped here forever…?” you ask weakly.

“No! Of course not! You being awake means that your body must have finally been able to process a small amount of demonic energy. We’ll continue to exercise your tolerance; you’ll be able to leave in no time.” she said.

You sigh in relief and fall back onto the bed. Thank God. Living in a hospital bed was not how you wanted your time amidst the mamono to end. Where were the others anyways?

“Can I see my friends?” you ask.

“No. unfortunately, the only mamono that are allowed in this room are ones with exceedingly low demonic energy output. If someone entered with too much DE, you would begin to die again.”

“Could you tell them that I’m awake?”

“Of course! I’ll tell them anything that you want me to. You could even write them a letter! I hear that you’ve been learning how to write common.”

“Alright, I’ll do that. I could use the practice anyways. I haven’t been able to practice in a few days after all.” you said reaching for a pen.

The unicorn shifts and turns away. “You were… unconscious for more than a few days…”

You freeze with the quill and parchment in hand. “How long?”

“Two weeks…”

Oh. Maybe that’s why you were so hungry. You set the stationary down on your bed.

“Can I have some food?” what a strange question to ask.

“Yes, your meal should be here soon. We have to prepare it in a very specific way to limit your DE intake.” she said with a grin.  
Great. A diet. At least the food would taste good.

The succubus returned with a rolling cart full of food. Most of it was completely foreign to you. It didn’t matter, you were too hungry to care. With no regard for pleasantries or manners you grab the closest plate and began to shovel its contents into your mouth.

The pair of nurses watched you eat; it made you a little uncomfortable.

“I hope you enjoy it, Anon. Just stay strong and you’ll be out of here in no time!” said the succubus.

“Yeah” you said between bites of some sort of vegetable. “I can’t wait to see what the city is like.”

“It’s beautiful! The way it overlooks the lake, the architecture, the college rising above it all…” swooned the succubus. 

“The residents are all kind and caring as well.” said the unicorn.

That reminds you of the reason you came to Admaz in the first place.

“Nurse, if I find a monster I… ‘love’ will there be any problems?”

The unicorn’s face shatters. The succubus looks equally devastated and looks down at the floor. The horse-woman takes your hand and looks at you with pitying eyes.

“Anon, because of the way your body reacts to demonic energy… you cannot have sex with a monster until your body is tolerant enough of DE.”

You drop your fork.

“…And even then you have to avoid intercourse with mamono who produce more DE than usual. Just being in the vicinity of a dark-matter or a Baphomet could put your life in jeopardy.”

No way. You arrive in MGE world, only to be cock-blocked by some fucking black jelly? You let out a strange noise, a hybridization of a wheeze and a moan. The noise of a man who has just realized that his dream of doing the monster mash has been put on indefinite hiatus.  
The nurse squeezes your hand.

“Have hope Mr. Anon! You will be able to love the one you hold dear in time! We will do everything we can to expedite your resistance to demonic energy!”

You look up at her. She’s just as beautiful as the other mamono you had seen. Why were you pouting? You were HERE. You made it. So what if you had to wait a little longer to be with your waifu? Later would come eventually. There was a whole new world to learn about and explore. Looking out the window you could see a magical landscape extending to the horizon. Adventure was out there.

Hell, you still had to find your wife in the first place.

You squeeze the nurses hand a little in return.

No, this was not the end. This was a new beginning.


	15. Chapter 15

What is hell? Is it a lake of fire? A horrifying world of shadow and fear? A silent abyss for souls to drift forever in?

Or is it here?

Your money was on here. 

It had been a week since you had woken from your demon-energy induced coma.

And damn were you horny.

Your body had adapted enough so that you could tolerate being in the demon realm without dying, but the sanctified ward of the hospital you were kept in did nothing to abate the ambient feelings of sexiness. Your dick was now almost perpetually stiff. Painfully so when one of the nurses entered the room. Relieving yourself did little to abate your lust. A good part of your day was spent furiously masturbating in a futile attempt to calm your loins. 

You had begged the unicorn nurse to help you, but she explained how you were too vulnerable to demonic taint, and even too much sweat on a mamono’s palm could put you back into a coma, or worse. 

Trapped with literal semen demons and you couldn’t lay so much as a finger on them. This truly was hell.

~~~~~

You could feel the haze of hedonism fade a little more each day. The doctors and nurses that tended to you did their best to keep your body exposed to ambient demonic energy to help it adapt. Like a swimmer wading into cold water, your body began to except the dark energies around it as normal. You weren’t sure if the clarity in your mind was you reclaiming your brainpower from depravity or if you were just forgetting what it was like to not have the mind of a pervert 24/7. 

One day after the unicorn nurse, who went by the name of Hicera, came to retrieve a ‘sample’ from you, she returned shortly to inform you that your demonic energy levels had stabilized.

“What does that mean?” you asked.

“It means your body is currently in equilibrium with the energy around it, and your body is no longer rejecting the energy at this concentration.” She said.

“Okay, so does that mean I’m back to normal?”

“Well… no. This room is heavily protected from outside demonic energy. This is the eye of the storm so to speak. As part of your therapy, you’ll need to be exposed to a more concentrated source of demonic energy.”

“You mean sex?”

The unicorn blushed and fidgeted. “N-no! You just get to leave the room for a bit, that’s all.”

Sweet! It may not be much, but you were dying to get out of this room.

“So I can just walk around outside?” you asked.

“You have to be with an escort. And you’ll probably only be able to handle a few minutes outside of the sanctuary. We’ll tell you when everything is ready.”

When everything is ready? That sounded like a lot of preparation for a quick stroll up and down the hallway. Oh well.

~~~~

“Anon, we’re ready to go. Are you feeling alright?” asked Hicera

“I feel fine. Let’s go!” you say shuffling to the door.

Before you can open it, the door swings open revealing a dour woman in armor. You stop in your tracks as she stares at you.

“Please do not be so hasty Mr. Anon. You are not to leave my side, do you understand?”

You swallow and nod. This woman had a commanding presence; you could tell that it was a bad idea to disobey her.

She nodded. “Then follow me.”

She stepped out into the hallway and you eagerly followed her. The corridor was empty. Doors ran up and down its length, but the denizens of the rooms were preoccupied or missing. As you stepped further into the hall, you felt a wave of heat wash over you. Your pace slowed and your slippered feet began to drag on the stone floor. Damn… was her ass always that big? The way it seemed to bounce in her armor hypnotized you as you came to a standstill. She turned to face you. Her plush lips began to move but you couldn’t see any thing as you staggered towards her. The world seemed to fall away around her as she opened her arms for you. A wave of nausea rocked your body as you passed out into her breasts.

~~~~~

You awaken to the Hicera scrubbing your chest with a cloth. Your head is throbbing and your stomach is still turning. 

{Ah! You’re awake! That was quick.}

You flinch as the cool rag makes contact with your chest. She hands you your amulet from the table beside your bed. It’s a bit grimy, almost like the penguins you see after an oil spill. You lift the chain over your head. The jewel leaves a small smear on your chest where it lands.

“How long was I out?”

“Only a few hours.”

True enough, the light outside was fading. Now only the last rays of dusk came through the high windows.

“And how far did I make it?”

The unicorn wrung the rag out into a bucket and picked it up. She looked a bit despondent. “Well, you made it about ten steps before you began to… die again. If you’re asking about time, about fifteen seconds.”

“Oh.” you reply flatly.

“But you recovered so quickly! You may not be able to handle much demonic energy, but your body has clearly become more adept at processing it.”

You take a sip from a glass of water to cleanse your mouth of the sour taste in your mouth. 

“Did I throw up again?” you ask.

She nudges the bucket back with one of her forelegs, but a bit of murky liquid sloshes out onto the floor.

“Not as much as last time. I think you kept a good amount down.”

How embarrassing. So far the only thing that monsters in the city had seen you do was vomit all over the floor. That may be a blessing in disguise; any monster that tried to rape you would have to be a monster that could molest you while you spat out a torrent of bile and concentrated sex-magic onto her. The malaise you were feeling was quickly fading as you sipped the water and sat up.

“Well, I certainly don’t want to be trapped in here forever. Let me know when I can try again. I want to get out as soon as possible.”

Hicera smiled and chuckled. “Of course Anon. We want you see you healthy again as well. Just make sure not to over exert yourself. You’re quite irreplaceable to us.”

You laughed. She was such a nice person. Or, mamono. The only company you had was her and a handful of other species with ‘low corruption potential,’ she was the only one that could be around you for any extended amount of time. It was also easier to trust her. Some of the others gave you some unnervingly lecherous looks. You had lost count of how many times you had been asked if you needed any assistance bathing or ‘relieving yourself.’ One dark mage had insisted on feeding you your food; you had to feign corruption poisoning to get her to leave you. There was also talk of bringing in a cancer to help keep your demonic energy levels down, but the staff was concerned that she would put more of HER energy into you than she scrubbed off of you.

Being trapped in this room made you realize just how few people you knew in this world. There were the Marrics, Arsofina and the elves, Pica, and Hicera. Maybe fifteen people who you could call friends in this world. It was times like this that you really missed your family. Friends were nice, but there was something spiritual about the company of people who knew you and would be with you for your whole life. You watched the light dance on the rippling water in the glass.

“Can I see Magnara? Or Halitt?” you asked. They were the closest thing you had to family in this world. You may as well have been there adoptive son.

“I shall see if Halitt is available, but Magnara is quite busy at the moment.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Hicera nodded and lifted the bucket. As she strode out of the room, you picked up the blank book and quill you had been given. If you were going to see Halitt, you had better catch up on learning Common.

~~~~~~

“Well, I’ll be damned. I was worried that I’d never see you alive again!”

You shut your book as Halitt burst into the room. He was dressed in a more formal manner than what you were used to seeing him in. Of course, he was no longer on a jungle expedition.

“Halitt! Oh man, it’s so good to see you!” 

You exited your bed and embraced him. He gave your back a few hearty slaps and held you at arms distance to get a look at you.

“Certainly looking better than the last time I saw you. At least, you’re not leaking demonic energy anymore. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I feel fine. As long as I don’t get hit with too much demonic energy at once, I’m perfectly healthy.”

Halitt loosened his grip as you said that. “Good, good. Glad to hear. I knew you would be fine.” He took a seat on one of the beds next to yours and laid on his side. “So what have you been doing during your imprisonment?”

“Take a look.” you said. You hand him the book that you had been writing in. Practicing Common and translating books had been the only thing keeping you sane. Magnara had given you a list of things that she would like you to translate, and your hospital stay had given you ample time to begin the task. You had also been cataloging song lyrics, poems, book passages, and any other cultural tidbits you could remember from earth. With no reference, any culture that you could not remember and record would be lost. It was quite stressful to know that your previous life would become a faded smear of incoherent colors and noise in time if you were not diligent.

Halitt thumbed through the pages nodding in approval. “I’m sure Magnara will be happy to see this.” he said. “Do you mind if I take it to her?” 

“Be my guest. Where is she by the way? Could she just not make it?” you asked handing him another stack of papers that you had been doodling on.

“There were some concerns about her having too much demonic energy to be in here with you, but yes, the main reason that she isn’t here is that she has been a bit busy with some things around town.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m doing fine in here. I can’t expect you to drop everything just because I’m sick. You have your own lives to live. What’s she working on? I know she said that she may become a professor again at the college here.”

“Yes, your arrival caused quite a stir in town. She’s been hard at work teaching the mamono about you and your world as best she can. I’m sure that some additional notes on the subject would be much appreciated.” he said tapping the book.

“If she ever needs clarification on something, I’d be happy to help. Just let me know and I’ll answer any questions.”

“I’ll let her know.”

You lay back on your bed and stare out the window. “To be honest, I’m just surprised that the city is taking my arrival so well. Based on what I read, mamono were much more aggressive than they actually are.”

There was a short silence as you watched a flying mamono in the distance cross the sky. When Halitt failed to reply you looked over at him. He was watching you with a pitying look, but quickly smiled and turned as you faced him.

“Yes, the town has graciously foregone their lust to make you feel welcome and safe.”

“The first thing I’ll do when I get out of here is thank them for their hospitality. There must be some way I can repay the-“

“NO!”

Halitt’s shout causes you to jump as your musing is abruptly cut short. Halitt was wide-eyed and tense. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“I will help you to show your appreciation to Admaz. But, uhh… these are… humble people! Yeah! They don’t care much for anything too grandiose. In fact, your smile will probably be enough. Yeah, don’t do anything. Otherwise they may be offended.”

“Right…”

There was a knock on the door. A dark valkyrie leaned in and informed Halitt that his time was almost up and that he needed to leave soon.

“Well Anon, it was good to see you. I hope that you can get better soon.”

“I’ll be out of here in no time Halitt, you can count on that.”

Halitt smiled, but his eyes seemed to contradict his grin.

~~~~~~~~~

“Be out of here soon… Be careful what you wish for Anon.” muttered Halitt as he strode down the corridor with the Admaz town guard escorting him. They passed through several security doors, each guarded by the best and most disciplined guards that Admaz had to offer. Everyone of them was married.

In truth, Halitt had been wanting to check on Anon for some time, but the entire building was being protected like a squire’s virginity. It was no lie to say that Anon was being protected by an army. Harpies and other flying mamono guarding the roof and windows around the clock, barricades and platoons in the halls, strict security checks to even come near the building, and enough wards to seal a god went into keeping the cock-hungry denizens of the town away. For now.

~~~~~~  
One week ago, just after Anon regained consciousness  
~~~~~~

The town had been ablaze with rumors about who or what was in the college and why it was there. Most agreed that on the day that the Marrics and Pica had arrived, a large contingent of the town guard and the best doctors of the city had escorted a cart carrying something that smelled incontrovertibly delicious through the center of town. Beyond that, it was all hearsay.

“I heard it was a super powerful paladin! One who could pose a threat to the Demon Lord herself!”

“No, it’s a priest, one who can speak directly to the Chief God. They’re going to use him as bait to lure her here and corrupt her.”

“It’s not a person at all! It’s treasure! They found an object of immense magical power; one from ancient times that goes beyond everything we know. That’s why it’s in the college.”

“I hope it’s a guy with a big dick.”

The cities curiosity was only inflamed as the college mustered most of the guard and a large portion of the espoused population to protect the building. The more adventurous citizens became obsessed with breaking in. Various coalitions of rouges, thieves, sorcerers, gangsters, and professional rapists were popping up all over the city. They would execute some hairbrained heist to obtain the dick/money/artifact and promptly caught and arrested. The town had heard a life’s worth of “you will NEVER stop the (name of group)! We’ll be back!” speeches. What worried the guard was that the dangerous groups were the ones who were patient enough to learn from the other’s mistakes and plan their way inside. One dark elf had only been caught when her lockpick triggered a ward hidden within a lock. She had only made it into the building itself, but it was an omen of things to come. And encouragement for others like her. When Anon woke up, it was decided that something must be done to placate the town and quell the citizens excitement. Things would only get worse if the population did not understand why he was being protected.

“Magnara, Halitt, thank you for coming.” said the arch-succubus opening the door for them.

“Of course, Lady Malpha, we fully understand what is at stake here.” said Magnara. She turned to Hicera. “How is he?”

“Asleep, as far as I know. He was not conscious for very long. There is no way to know how long it will take his body to recover. It is also important to preface this meeting by acknowledging that Anon is a unique creature, and may not adhere to the natural laws of this world. It may be that his body will never handle demonic energy well enough to live amongst mamono.”

There was a long silence before the head of the college spoke. Athea, an owl harpy of high social standing and wealth.

“If that is the case, then we will deal with that in time. However, I do not think it naïve to believe that he will recover. That he is now awake is proof enough that he can survive.”

“True enough. What to do if he cannot survive in a demon-realm is a moot point if we cannot keep him from being killed by corruption here and now.” said the guard captain.

“I am impressed with the work of your guard and the help that you have enlisted, captain Nevkya. You have done well to protect him against such overwhelming numbers.” said Malpha.

“He cannot be protected for much longer if the reinforcements I requested do not arrive. The magic protecting him is too costly to maintain at this rate. My mages’ magic reserves are almost completely dry; their husbands have not seen a day this week where they were not fucked unconscious.” said a tall dark mage.

“Additional mages are being screened by the board as we speak, High Magus Crowlyne. Your women will be able to rest soon, you have my word.” said Malpha.

“But what about teltomancy? The wards may hold a group of amateurs, but if a small group of experienced mages cooperated, they could blow a hole in the barrier and abscond with Anon.” said Magnara.

“Harpies are patrolling the city with contraptions to detect strong surges of magic. If anyone is in the process of casting a spell strong enough to get to him, we will know.” said Malpha.

“We need to come up with a concrete plan. Every second that we spend fussing over how we can barely protect Anon is another moment that other mamono have to try and reach him.” said Nevkya.

“I think it would be best to tell them the truth.” Said Magnara. “If we are honest and upfront about the situation, the populace will be more than willing to stay away from him. They have to be made aware of why they are a danger to him and what they can do to help him.”

“That’s lunacy. Telling them will only make them want him more. How many of them will think ‘surely I can heal him, if it’s just ME it will be fine,’ and try to cure him? What if a dragon decides that a one-of-a-kind human from a different dimension would be just the thing to complete her hoard? Gods, every wisp in the city would be all over him if they knew that he would just die the second they fucked him! No, we have to make it clear that they need to follow our instructions WITHOUT telling them the details.” Said Crowlyne

“Quite cynical, Magus, but you make a valid point. There will no doubt be mamono who lack the self-control to stay away from Anon, and even more who will be too jealous to resist. Anon must be protected even after he is able to live normally within a demon-realm.” Said Malpha.

“I think my wife is right.” Said Halitt. “Mamono would not rape Anon if they knew the consequences for their actions. Even wisps would not murder a man. We have to have SOME faith in the others.”

“How much DO we know, practitioner Hicera? Is it fair to say that Anon’s condition will not deteriorate?” asked Malpha.

“No, milady. Come tomorrow he could be fit enough to walk through the demon-lord’s bedroom, or dead. We have no idea what his biology entails.” Replied Hicera.

“He’s close enough to any human here. I’m sure of it.” Said Magnara. “From everything he’s told me, the humans of his world are no different form the ones here; the only difference is the ability to use magic.”

Malpha tapped her chin thoughtfully and walked to her desk. She poured out a glass of prisoner fruit liqueur and took a sip.

“Magnara, I take it that you share your husband’s opinion on this matter? Tell the masses that he will die if tainted by intercourse?” said Malpha.

“Yes milady. The demon-lord may have given us an insatiable appetite for sex, but she also gifted us with loving hearts.” said Magnara.

Malpha smiled and set the glass down. “You are closer to him than any of us. I think it is only proper that you have a say in the matter, given that his life may hang in the balance. Magnara; you will tell them.”

“M-me?” asked Magnara quietly. Her tail coiled around her leg and her wings withdrew.

“Yes. He has no kin in this land, correct? You are no doubt the closest thing he has to family here. None in the entire world know as much about him as you. Tell them about him. Satisfy their curiosity. Make them listen and understand why they must not lay a hand on him. I know you can do it.” said Malpha placing a hand on Magnara’s shoulder.

Magnara took a deep breath and clenched her fists. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

~~~~~~

The next day, the town bell tolled to call the populace of Admaz to assembly. The meeting took place in town hall, a large building that could have doubled as an opera house if an eccentric phantom hadn’t built one that dwarfed it. Mamono eagerly pushed their way in. Everyone knew that the address was going to be about the rumors that had been plaguing the town for days.

Malpha stood at the podium with the head of the college, the High Magus, the captain of the guard, and Magnara behind her. Magnara had hardly been able to sleep last night from her nerves and the effort it took to compile all the notes she needed. As the hall reached capacity, and mamono began to seat themselves in the aisles, the Lady of Admaz began to channel a small amount of magic into the circle engraved on the podium. It glowed slightly and her breathing became faintly audible throughout the cavernous room.

“Everyone, please. Quiet please. I assume you are aware of some questionably sourced information that has been passing through the town. We are here to allay your worries; behind me is Magnara, the succubus who will be telling you about the phenomenon. I will turn the floor over to her, but please remain civil and hold your questions until she is finished speaking. Magnara, if you would?”

Malpha stepped aside and Magnara stepped forwards and placed her notes on the podium. “Thank you all for coming. I met with the women behind me yesterday and we reached a consensus that informing you all about what is happening is the best course of action. As I’m sure most of you are aware, the College of Admaz is currently under lockdown. The reason for the enhanced security measures is…”

Magnara swallowed and prayed that this really was the right choice. Every mamono in the audience was at the edge of their seats in anticipation. Thankfully, Nevkya had already positioned guards to apprehend anyone who made a break for the college.

“There is a very sick man being treated there for his unique affliction. He cannot come into contact with any mamono.”

The hall erupted in a chorus of voices. Some expressed disappointment at such an anticlimactic truth, while others just wanted to be let in to rape him.

“Settle down! Settle. Quiet, please. I’m not finished yet.” said Magnara. “As I said, it IS a man. However, he is suffering from demonic-energy poisoning. He comes from a place where demonic-energy was not present, and his body shuts down if he is exposed to too much at once.”

The mamono began to murmur and whisper amongst themselves.

“This affliction is very serious. If he is taken by a mamono, he WILL die.” continued Magnara. “And so, we ask that you all help to ensure that he survives. None of you can rape him. Even going near him may be dangerous. I ask you to show the compassion that the demon-lord bestowed upon you to be patient and kind towards this unfortunate soul. Now then, I can take any questions you may have.”

The crowd abandoned all sense of civility as hands and voices rose up from the mob. Several mamono in the front rows began to climb onto the stage. 

“LET US RAPE!”

“YOU CAN’T KEEP HIM FROM US!”

“GIVE US THE DICK!”

Guards flooded out from the wings to push them back and Crowlyne caused a small explosion in the air above Magnara. The audience screamed as several more pops went off over particularly loud groups. Malpha gently moved Magnara to the side and amped up the magic input into the podium.

“SILENCE, PLEASE. I WILL NOT ASK A SECOND TIME. THANK YOU.”

Magnara tentatively rose back up from her crouched position and reorganized her notes.

“Now then, please raise your hand and I-“

Half the hands, wings, claws and legs in the building shot up. Magnara felt very tired all of a sudden.

“Alright, we’ll start with you, in the front.” she said pointing to a succubus.

“Is he cute?”

Magnara glared at her. “Seriously? THAT’S the question you ask? I suppose he’s cute, but it doesn’t matter; no one can go near him without expressed permission from practitioner Hicera. Also, I will NOT be answering questions about his physical appearance. At least not until serious questions are answered.”

Most of the hands in the audience went down.

“Yes, you, in the third row.” said Magnara pointing to a demon.

“You said he was being poisoned by demonic energy correct? How is that possible? Why doesn’t he just incubize?”

“Very good question. As I said, he is from a very different place. One without demonic energy. Like a human illness, his body must learn how to process the corruption instead of accumulating unhealthy amounts in the body. Next we’ll do… you.” 

A holstaur from the center aisle stood up. “You keep saying that he comes from a place with no demonic energy. How is that possible? Where is he from?”

“Are there other men there?” shouted a werewolf next to her.

“Please! One at a time. Anon, the person in question, appears to have been… err… sucked into this world by some sort of magic. We are… not entirely sure whether he is from a different planet or a different dimension entirely.”

Angry shouts echoed across the hall.

“Is this a joke?!”

“Tell us the truth!”

“An extra-dimensional human? Do you take us for fools?”

The congregation quickly took their seats again as Malpha rose from her chair and began to move towards the podium.

“It’s true! I saw him coming in on a wagon! He had skin white as sea-foam and black veins!” shouted a lamia.

“Actually, that’s because he was dying.” corrected Magnara. “His skin is only a bit lighter than humans here. Are their any more questions about him that AREN’T about his looks?”

“I also saw a glimpse of him as he was being taken in. He had a strange mana profile. Can he use magic?” asked a devil.

Magnara looked over her shoulder at her compatriots. The topic of Anon’s magical talent was a touchy topic. Men with high magical potential were highly sought after both for their talents and their tendency to produce magically-talented progeny. Some mamono went exceptional lengths to find and secure a husband with a good pedigree.

“Anon is capable of magic, though we do not know what the extent of his talents are.”

Several mages and sorceresses perked up, many taking notes or whispering among their colleagues. 

“Yes, the fairy in the front row here.” Said Magnara pointing to a small fluttering woman.

“How intelligent is he? Is he a savage beast who can barely speak?”

“No, he is just as intelligent as any human in this world. Maybe even more so in some regards. His world was vastly superior in terms of technology. However, he is still learning Common speech, and is incapable of reading or writing very well in any language beyond his own. Yes, the succubus over there.”

“I noticed that you have some notes on your podium. If they are about the human, will they be made available to the public?”

“All information pertaining to Anon will be made available to the public after it has been proofread to prevent any sensitive information from leaking. Let’s see… how about you, the cupid.”

“Is he single?”

Every head in the audience whipped around to face Magnara. Nevkya adjusted her pauldron, a cue to the guards to get ready for a riot. Crowlyne began muttering an incantation under her breath.

“It is unknown whether or not Anon is attracted to anyone at the moment, as he is required to be isolated for his own safety. I will not divulge anymore, out of respect for his privacy. Next question.”

“Is he nice?”

“Yes, he is quite amicable. I think that once he recovers, he will fit in nicely here. Anyone else?”

The room was abuzz with chatter. Many of the monsters were talking in small groups or thinking hard about what they had just heard.  
“Well, if that’s the case, I suppose I can use the remainder of the time to answer any questions about his physical appearance. Except about his penis. Yes, the witch in the front.”

“How big is his dick?”

“Alright, well then. This meeting is now adjourned, thank you all for coming, and for your cooperation in the endeavor to keep Anon safe. Literature about him will be available soon.” said Magnara with a clap of her hands.

The monsters began to file out and Magnara dragged herself back to her seat.

“I think that went well.” said Malpha cheerily.

“Yes, we’ve just informed a hoard of lechers that a one-of-a-kind fuck is waiting for them in the college. Mark my words, this will mean the end of that boy.” grumbled Crowlyne.

“The best thing now would be for Anon to make an appearance and confirm everything we have said. Once they see that our concerns about his health are valid, they will defer to our plan of action.” said Nevkya.

“Yes, the only thing now is to brace ourselves. I must go tend to Anon; ladies, it has been a pleasure to work with you.” said Hicera as she rose and trotted away.

“The college is still happy to house Anon, but we need to reopen the building eventually. Our students will grow frustrated with their impromptu vacation eventually.” said Athea.

“The college will be compensated for allowing the city to use its facilities, president Athea.” assured Malpha.

Magnara tuned out as the others discussed the course of action. What Nevkya had said was right; Anon had to be present soon to confirm everything they she had said. Otherwise, the curiosity of the town would continue to rise until it could not be suppressed.  
Oh Anon, please get well soon…


	16. Chapter 16

I'm learnin' to walk again...

I believe I’ve waited long enough…

Where do I begin…?

Ooh, you’ll have to remember to write that down later. For now, you were busy cruising the halls with impunity. The last two weeks had consisted of you walking around unshielded as your very essence was torn to shreds by ambient demonic sex energy until your body gave out and you threw up.

But you were getting stronger. Every time you went out, you felt stronger; more clearheaded than the last time. It seemed like an exponential increase. When you started, you only survived a few seconds before you began to die. Now, you could spend hours walking up and down the hall with no complications. Well, you did get tired quickly. Too tired than one should just by walking for a bit. And there were the ever-present thoughts of sex that permeated your mind. Nothing to serious.

Not that the second side-effect was any different than normal.

Your caretakers also seemed to be much less anxious. Your arrival had no doubt caused a stir in town. The atmosphere now was far more placid than when you arrived. The knight escorting you now merely leaned against the wall and let you shuffle around instead of following an arm’s length away from you.

That and she still hadn’t forgiven you for puking on her. Even now her eyes make you uncomfortable when she stares at you.

It was one fucking time lady, get over it.

You looked down at the town out the window. This had become your favorite and only pastime while you were out here. From this distance, it was impossible to make out any individuals amidst the tightly packed buildings and chimneys. Occasionally you could see a crowd gathering in a certain area, but it was just a wiggling blob; no definition. This didn’t bother you, as the view of the town itself was majestic enough to captivate you for days.

The town of Admaz itself was situated at the foot of some small mountains at the very end of the mountain range and stretched to a massive lake roughly a mile away. The lake then fed into a river, which took an abrupt turn away from the mountains, and off to parts unknown. Trees were smattered throughout the town, both deciduous and evergreen. Magnara had told you a little about the climate of the regions you traveled through and explained how Admaz was of mild climate and slightly above average rain fall. She said that the forest was a sight to see in the fall. Apparently, demonic plants took on different colors than trees on earth. Past the arable land east of the city, there was an entire forest that stretched almost as far as you could see.

To the south-east, fields of crops grew in neat rows. Most you didn’t recognize, and what looked familiar to you was almost certainly not closely related to its earthly counterpart. Recently the nurses had been experimenting with your diet, slowly weening you from purified food from human lands and transitioning you to demon realm food. Whatever those crops were, they tasted pretty good. Even if they did give you a raging boner every time you finished your meal.

Across the lake was another city, though it was too far away to see. From what you had been told, this body of water was something akin to the Great Lakes of earth. Crossing it took days, and the lake was often used to transport goods. The city port was further up the coast, situated away from the rest of Admaz. The shore near the town was instead used as a recreational beach by the inhabitants.  
What fascinated you most about Admaz was the city proper. A wall surrounded the entirety of the city, starting at the lake and stretching all the way around to the mountain in a semi-circle. Attackers could torch the fields, but the wall protected the city and the port; all Admaz had to do was prevent a naval blockade and they could weather any attack.

Inside the wall was a chaotic maze of buildings. Almost all buildings had roofs that slanted slightly more than an average earth roof, and ALL had the same flat, stone tiles as shingles. The stone was a light grey; the color predominated your view of the town from the lofty perch of the college. Below the roofs, the city lost all sense of aesthetic cohesion. The walls of buildings ranged from brick, to daube, to wood, to stone. Certain districts seemed to be made of different materials. You could see that the wealthier homes, the ones higher up in the foot hills, were exclusively stone and brick. Most buildings were two or three stories tall, but there were some that loomed over their surroundings. The further away from the center of town a building resided, the smaller it got. It was a clear gradient of size and building material stretching from the small, single room homes at the edge of the wall and outside of it to the chaotic construction of the city center.

From what the nurses had told you, the crown jewel of Admaz was the college itself. The institution sat higher than any other building in Admaz and was built entirely of stone. Unlike any other building you could see, the college looked like gothic buildings on earth. High, vaulted ceilings, intricate designs, a somber yet beautiful aesthetic. From the windows you had access to, you could not discern how many buildings were on campus in total. There may even be some buildings that were built into the mountain itself.  
Though you couldn’t see anything of the building you were in, the interior was certainly beautiful. The walls were full or ornate details and patterns. Paintings of various monsters lined the hall; many of them depicted the painted copulating with a man. Some of the trysts looked questionably consensual for the man. It was a bit of a culture shock, but you were glad that you got to experience how things really were in demon realms. It would be a shame if you offended someone by telling them that the orgy family portrait they commissioned was in poor taste. Hopefully you would be able to see more of the college soon.

As the sun started to set you took a seat on one of the benches lining the hall and began to write down all of the things that you had remembered about earth that day.

This was without a doubt the longest that you had ever been outside the warded room that had housed you for the past few weeks. You had been outside since breakfast, and now it was completely dark outside. And you felt no worse than you did this morning. Were you cured? Coincidentally, Hicera appeared out of a door at the end of the hall holding a tray with your dinner.

“Oh! Anon! You’re still out here! Have you been out all day?” she asked.

“Yep. Since breakfast. And I still feel normal.”

“Excellent!” she said setting the tray of food next to you on the bench. “I’m so glad to hear that you’re making so much progress. Our calculations predicted that you would be able to endure exponentially more mamono mana exposure as time went on; I’m just relived that your body behaved for once.”

“Me too. So does that mean that I don’t have to live in that room anymore? Can I finally get out?” you asked taking a bite of a roll.

“Not yet. We still need to keep a close eye on you. The next step is ensuring that you can survive the night while exposed to the ambient mana. It would be tragic if we came this far only to have you die in your sleep.”

“Can we try tonight?”

“Certainly! I’ll have a bed brought out for you.” she said with a smile.

You dipped the remainder of the roll into some mashed potatoes (or whatever demon realm equivalent this stuff was) and took another bite. You were so close. But what were you going to do when you got out?

Learning the nuances of magic and finding a wife were the only goals you had at the moment. But how were you going to find a specific girl when you didn’t even know which species you want? All this time you had been worrying about learning the language and preserving your memories from earth. Deciding on who to spend the rest of your life with had completely slipped your mind.

But maybe that wasn’t all bad.

In reality, it was probably best to take your time. This was going to be your partner, your best friend, and the mother of your children. Not a decision to make lightly. The best course of action would be to observe the women of this world and make a staid judgement with a clear head. This was a choice that COULD NOT be made with your dick. It was imperative to remember that you know next to nothing about this world. A paragraph a piece for a single member of a species was not sufficient data for choosing a life partner. Every one would have different personalities, hobbies, dreams, and ideals. One of them would be the one that rose above the rest in terms of compatibility.

“Anon?”

“Hmm?” you turned back to Hicera with a mouthful of food.

“I asked if you needed any more blankets.” She said giggling.

Your face flushes and you hastily swallow your food. “Uhh, yeah, thanks. That would be great.”

She smiled at you with closed eyes. Her ears wiggled a bit as she watched you eat your meal. So kind. So beautiful…

So dangerous.

As she walked away to fetch more linens the clarity of your thoughts returned to you. That settles it, the first thing that you would have to learn was warding magic. Even a unicorn posed a serious threat to you. If she had asked you for sex you would have been powerless to say no. And there was a 100% chance that succubi would tempt you into sex as soon as you set foot outside. Hell, pretty much anything could get in your pants by just asking. The latent charm of mamono and the demon realm was truly a thing to be feared.  
Hicera returned with an armful of extra sheets, and bid you goodnight. The dullahan guard made her exit without saying goodbye, and another girl in full armor took her place. You climbed into bed and extinguished the candle you were carrying. The bed you were in was just a few feet away from the warded room in case you needed to beat a hasty retreat to safety in the middle of the night.

Rolling to the side you watched the stars twinkle through the window at the end of the hall. An entire galaxy of new constellations.

Soon you would be out in that new world.

~~~~

“He’ll be out any day now. He’s spent several nights outside the wards without any complications. The tests show that the levels of demonic energy in his system are in equilibrium with the ambient energy around him.” said Hicera.

“So, he’s ready to leave his prison? I could certainly use my building back.” said president Oroba dryly.

“This is a big risk. The towns folk may have been appeased by the explanation that Magnara gave them, but their vigor will return twofold once they think that they can assault him.” said the guard captain Nevkya.

“The college has already screened its pupils, and all ‘problem students’ are being closely watched. If there is an attack, it will come from the townies.” said Crowlyne.

“Very good. I think that it is time to move forwards with this scheme.” said Malpha. “Anon cannot stay cooped up in there forever, and he has made it clear that he wishes to move beyond a room and hallway. Magnara, do you still have the list of species he is attracted too?”

“No!” said Hicera, stopping Magnara from removing the parchment from her bag. “He is still to sensitive to demonic energy to survive intercourse. The energy in a demon realm is nothing compared to what his body would be subject too during sex with a mamono.”

“Then… he can’t couple with anyone?” asked Magnara.

“Not… not yet. It’s just a theory that he cannot mate with mamono yet; but one I will not allow to be tested. Nevkya, Crowlyne, it is crucial that Anon be protected from mamono who would rape him.” said Hicera.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure he’s accompanied at all times by married mamono. We also need to address the public again to tell them that even though he appears healthy, he is still very fragile.” said Oroba.

“Speaking of the public, how are we going to introduce him? And what is he going to be doing?” asked Crowlyne.

“He said he wanted to attend the college of Admaz, so I see no reason to deny him such a simple request. As for introductions, I suggest a school assembly. Make sure that everyone sees him and gets to satiate their curiosity so that when they see him again they don’t do anything too rash.” said Oroba.

“That sounds reasonable. We will have to assign extra guards though. Putting him up on stage like that is liable to cause a stampede.” said Magnara. “I can deliver my address and then bring him on as a follow up.”

“We will give him some time to prepare. Could we hold the ceremony three days from now?” said Malpha.

“Yes, the auditorium is available then. I shall make the arrangements now.” said Oroba.

“Magnara, would you tell him what the plan is? Give him a summary of the situation and help him write his introduction. Make sure he doesn’t put anything that could be perceived as an invitation to breed in his speech.” Said Malpha.

“Of course. Just leave it to me.” said Magnara.

“Good, good. Things are going well, ladies. Let us ensure they stay that way.” said Malpha.

~~~~~~~

“Are you sure this is a good idea Magnara?” you asked.

“No, but it’s the best option we have. Try to put on a brave face, some of them are turned on by fear.” said Magnara as she walked onto the stage.

Perfect. You clenched the thin stack of papers in your hands, the speech that you had hastily written just a day before your big introduction to mamono. What were they thinking?! Why didn’t you get a say in any of this? You could handle a bit of public speaking, but there was no way that you could stay cool and collected when your life was at risk.

Magnara began her address and you tugged at the collar of the formal robes you had been given. It was a long cloak with a rhombus shape cut out on either side to reveal your sides. When you had asked for something more conservative, Hicera had informed you that this was the most modest piece of clothing the phantom had in her collection. Should you even be surprised?

“Anon, don’t worry. We are here for you. No harm will come to you under my watch.”

You looked up at the ornately dressed guard captain, Nevkya. She had been in charge of keeping you safe so far, and you had to admit that she had done an excellent job seeing as how you weren’t dead. You nod at her and moisten your dry lips. Just how many monsters were in the audience tonight? And how many of them were going to try to rape you?

“… And so, please welcome Anon: the human from another plane!” said Magnara. That was your cue.

As you walk out of the wing, you hear a loud gasp from the mamono on the opposite side of the theater. All necks crane to get a better look at you as you walk onto the stage. When at last you are fully in view of the whole theater, a chorus of gasps, oohs and aahs, and whispers fills the auditorium with a palpable energy of curiosity and excitement. You take your place at the podium and place your notes on the sigil and a hush falls over the crowd. The guards lining the front of the stage shift restlessly as monsters squirm in their seats.

“H-hello everyone, my name is Anon.”

The crowd shouts and groans in exasperation as your voice only reaches the first few rows of mamono. Magnara rushes over and lifts your notes, revealing a smudge in the rune work where your fingers had been. She quickly corrects the mistake and pours more mana into the amplification spell. You clear your throat and the restless crowd’s jeers abate.

“Hello everyone, my name is Anon.”

The audience erupts in a frenzy of poorly suppressed excitement. Some whisper to their neighbors, some stay silent, some wiggle in their seats, some cheer and squeal, and a few rose from their seats and were quickly tackled and subdued by the guards. The fighting in the aisles took the attention of the room away from you for a moment as everyone was remembered to behave.

“As you have been told, I am from a different world. The relation to this world and my own is unknown. I do not know if the boundaries between our worlds are merely physical, or if I truly have transcended dimensions. This is a moot point at the moment; my goal now is not to learn about how I arrived in this world, but how to live well while I am here. My friend Magnara has been an indispensable asset to helping me understand this strange new land, and I hope that each of you will have the same patience and understanding. Please do not take personal offense from my actions; I am still ignorant to many of the customs of this land.”

You flip to the next page.

“And just as I wish to learn about your world, I know that many of you are eager to lean about mine. I have spoken to Magnara, and with the approbation of President Oroba, I am pleased to announce that I will be giving a series of lectures on my world here at the college.”

The crowd murmured excitedly.

“In addition, I will also be enrolling at the College of Admaz as a student; I will begin as soon as the logistics of my stay and education are settled.”

A cheer went up from the crowd and many began to shout questions at you. It was impossible to hear what they were asking; dozens of voices drowned each other out vying for your attention.

“Quiet! Please, everyone, clam down.” Surprisingly, the mamono listened to you and regained their composure. Huh, maybe you were in less danger than you had imagined. They seemed quite complaisant. “I can answer your questions during the lectures, but for now please let me finish. It is VERY important to remember that I will still die if exposed to too much demonic energy. It is a very painful process; please do not cause me any undue suffering by assaulting me. I know that I can rely on you, and look forward to learning with and about you and your world. Thank you.”

The crowd cheered and made noise with whatever appendage they had. Most with hands clapped, but some stomped their feet or slammed their tales against the ground. Several howls from the back of the theater made your hair stand on end. Mamono were quite the excitable bunch.

Suddenly, one of the guards in front of you flew back and collapsed with a bolt in her chest. Another bolt flew past you and embedded itself in the wall of the stage. All hell broke loose.

The audience screamed and began to stampede towards the exits, or the stage, some choosing to duck under their seats. The dullahans and dark valkyries sprang into action against the unseen foes. You had no idea what was going on.

“GRAB HIM!”

It became clear immediately that there was a group of monsters working together. Several were pressing through the mob towards the stage with weapons in hand. The auditorium was emptying fast, giving the guards a better chance against the gang. It looks like the rapists had used the chaos of the crowd to stealthily do away with many of the guards in the audience, leaving only the contingent on the stage to defend you.

“Anon! This way!”

Magnara grabbed your arm breaking your daze and began tugging you towards a wing. As you approached, a minotaur guard staggered back with a dagger lodged in her thigh. She roared and swung her massive axe through a werewolf who shuddered and collapsed in a pool of her own juices. But more mamono began to pile through the door and a ghoul leapt onto the cow woman, taking them both to the ground. Magnara stopped and pulled you towards the other wing. The right wing wasn’t fairing much better. The guards had barricaded the door and were slashing and stabbing at the enemies behind the wall of props and furniture as they threw themselves against the ad hoc wall. Ironically, the safest place seemed to be center stage, where captain Nevkya and her veterans were making good progress against the monsters from the audience. A bolt whistled past your head and you decided that taking cover was a wise decision.

From behind the lectern, you watched the battle unfold in the wings. The left wing was being overrun. The right wing’s barricade was almost broken. And from the sounds behind you, Nevkya was too busy fighting to address either issue. Magnara crouched next to you and you did your best to allow her cover.

The last guard in the left wing fell at the same time a loud crack sounded from the right wing. Looking left you saw an ogre smashing through a dresser like it was made of balsa. She made eye contact with you and let out a resounding whoop.

“ANON!” screamed Mangara.

She pushed past you and clashed with a dark elf that had been coming from behind you. Before she could get a spell off, the dark elf twisted her wrist free and punched her in the face. Magnara collapsed and the elf quickly stabbed her with her knife. Magnara’s eyes rolled back into her head and she let out a squeal.

The dark elf pulled the blade out and licked the oozing mana off the blade as she locked eyes with you.

“You’re next, cutie~ Can’t wait to carve you up; you look like a screamer~”

You scrambled backwards away from her, but the sound of a guard being hoisted and thrown into the seats directed your attention back to the ogre that was making short work of the exhausted guards confronting her. It reminded you of the scene in Lord of the Rings where Sauron was smacking people around with his mace. She had a sickening grin as she pummeled one monster after another with her giant fists.

You were surrounded. The guards had fought off many of the attackers, but there were just too many. Nevkya backed into center stage with you. She was panting hard and covered in liquid mana. Panic was taking its toll on your train of thought, and you had no idea what to do.

“Just come quietly, Anon. We just want you. All your friends will be fine, I promise.” said the dark elf.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” you said.

The ogre laughed behind you. “Big talk for someone shaking so much. I’m gonna enjoy putting that smart mouth of yours to work.”

“Well, if you won’t cooperate…” the dark elf took a step back, positioning herself over Magnara. “Then who knows what will happen? Your friends may get hurt…”

She swung her leg into Magnara’s side. The succubus cried out and tried to roll to the side.

“STOP!” you demanded.

“You can make it stop any time you want! All you have to do is agree to serve me. I can’t promise that it will be painless, but in time, you’ll learn to love obeying me.”

“Anon… Don’t do it…” wheezed Nevkya.

The elf kicked Magnara again and you shouted. Not words, just an inarticulate cry of distress. She took a seat on Magnara’s crumpled form and raised on of her boots.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to crawl over here on your hands and knees, and you’re going to lick my boot clean. You’re going to put on the collar I give you and say: ‘thank you for letting me clean your filthy boots mistress,’ got it? If you don’t…” she grabbed Magnara’s hair and lifted her head up. “Then I’ll turn this bitch over to her” she pointed at the ogre “and I guarantee that she won’t be as gentle with your friend as I am. So, get crawling Anon~ Show me how obedient men from your world are.”

She dropped Magnara’s head back onto the ground.

Then you felt it. The same feeling as when you saved Oreath from the amazons. Your stomach rose as you felt the magic within you begin to swirl in a familiar manner. You stood tall and positioned yourself between the two wings, facing out towards the seats.

“Oh? What’s this? Really Anon, I’m starting to lose my patience. Do I need t-“

Concentrating you will the energy within you into your palms. The clarity in your mind was unexpected. Even though you were cowering in panic moments before, you now knew exactly what to do. You raised your hands outwards, one palm facing one wing.

“You want me to crawl? Well I'll still be above you; they’ll have to carry you out.” you said facing the elf.

She bared her teeth and brought out a whip from behind her. “Oh, you’ll suffer for that you arrogant p-“

Your palms shimmered and you unleashed a torrent of magical force out of each hand. The mob of rouge mamono waiting in either wing gawked for a moment before being blasted against the wall. There was a loud synchronous scream as your attackers were pushed away by a searing bolt of energy.

The instantaneous energy expenditure is more than enough to make you feel light headed. You collapse onto you hands and knees as the world lists and shifts beneath you, and the color slowly returned.

“That really would have been helpful at the start of the fight.” said Nevkya.

She helped you up as your legs wobbled and threatened to give out underneath you.

“There are more guards coming, but we need to get you out of here. Come on!” she began helping you stagger towards the audience exit.

“Magnara…” you mumble.

“She’ll be alright, you won’t!”

Nevkya shoulder checked the door open and abruptly stopped.

“L-Lady Malpha!”

You looked up to see the most well-endowed succubus you had seen standing before you. Her horns were much larger, and her body was almost bare. It was hard to find a parch of skin on her body that was not covered in tattoos (probably pleasure runes).

“Captain, I see that a predicament has arisen.” she said sweetly.

“Yes milady. He was attacked. They’re taken care of for now, but I need to get him somewhere safe.” said Nevkya.

You groaned and doubled over in pain. You didn’t feel so good all of a sudden…

“Yes, don’t worry, I’ll take it from here. Are you alright Anon?” asked Malpha reaching out a hand.

“Milady, no!” said Nevkya.

As her hand made contact with your head, you moaned and heaved a gob of mamono energy onto the floor.

“Lady Malpha, leave! Practitioner Hicera warned you that you have too much mana for him to handle!”

With a loud heave you spill another load of black sludge onto the floor. Nevkya is now the only thing holding you up.

Your mind starts to go dark. Nevkya is talking to someone, but you can’t make out the words. The last thing you are aware of is your limp body being dragged away as you lose consciousness.

~~~~~~

Back to the room.

It’s probably a bad sign that you already know where you are after passing out and almost dying so many times. Thankfully, you appear to have missed the cleanup this time. Your clothing had been changed and your chin was devoid of mamono mana.  
Damn, you thought you would be able to last a little longer around mamono. Just who was that lady? Probably some sort of arch-succubus. Mal- something. You’ll ask later.

Reaching over you give the handbell next to your bed a ring. You take the amulet next to it and slip it on. Hicera enters after a few minutes.

“Glad to see you’re awake. How do you feel?” she asked with concern in her eyes.

“Tired. Hungry.”

As usual, you were absolutely ravenous after using magic. Staying awake was a herculean task at the moment.

Hicera sent for some food and trotted over to your bed.

“What happened?” you asked.

“After you passed out, the guards who were outside entered the college and escorted you to safety, while Lady Malpha took care of the remaining belligerents.” said Hicera.

“Is Magnara okay?” you asked, remembering her bruised and crumpled form getting farther and farther away as you were dragged off.  
“Thanks to you, yes. I heard the shockwave from here! You must have quite some magical potential. Though, you need to learn control. Some of the girls you threw were seriously hurt.” she said wagging a finger at you.

“I mean… they WERE trying to kill me…”

She frowned and nodded. “That’s true. I suppose there is more at stake for you than a normal human.”

“So now what?” you asked rubbing your eyes.

“Well, now you start learning! And teaching us, as it would seem. I look forwards to hearing your lectures about {earh}!”

“Yeah, it will be nice to know what I’m actually DOING the next time I need to blow something up. Ahh, but I am going to need a lot of help. I don’t know where anything is on campus, or how the grading system here works o-“

“Ooh! About that! We found you someone to help with all of that. As a matter of fact, she’s the one bringing you your food.” Said Hicera with a little clap.

“Who is she?” you asked tentatively. After what had happened, you were skeptical of any old monster being given an all access pass to your life.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s hand picked by me and the others assigned to your case. She’s kind, patient, and very knowledgeable. Having her around will help you learn all about how things work here at the college, and help to keep you safe from mamono who would think about taking you.” she said with a wink.

There was a knock at the door.

“Practitioner Hicera? I brought the food you requested. I he awake?”

“Yes, yes. Come in! Anon, I would like you to meet Morala Fray.”

A titania fluttered in carrying a tray with your dinner on it. She set it down on the table beside you and looked at you expectantly.

“I am Morala Fray, but please call me Mora. I’ll be taking care of you, okay Anon?” she said with a wiggle of her wings and a beaming smile.

“Yeah, thanks for your help. I’m sure you’ll be indispensable.” you said, smiling back at her.


	17. Chapter 17

“Are you ready to go Anon?” asked Morala Fray, the titania that had been assigned to help you acclimate to your new schedule.

Stuffing the last of your belongings into a leather bag bearing the college insignia, you nodded and followed her out of the room. You had spent a month in that accursed place; hopefully you would never see it again.

“Where will I stay now?” you asked.

“Let’s go see! You’re rooming with the other men at the college. We can drop off everything you don’t need and then go see the rest of the campus.” said Morala.

She pushed open a door and a draft of cool air blew past you.

“This is one of the grand staircases. Most lecture halls and laboratories are connected to one of these. If you ever get lost, find one of these!”

Grand was certainly one way to describe it. The ‘staircase’ was an enormous tower with stairs circling around the outside. Massive stone staircases swept up at least four stories above you. Mamono moved up and down the steps in crowds, unperturbed by the amount of jostling that was occurring between them. The center of the tower was empty, and flying mamono would occasionally fly up past you, or jump over the railing to glide to a lower floor. A skylight let the light from the grey sky above shine through the cavernous room.

“Come on Anon; let’s go find your room.” said Mora.

You snapped out of your daze, and realized that a crowd had gathered to gawk at you as you took in the scenery. Mamono of all shapes and sizes looked at you curiously, some giggled at your wonderment and others were more aloof. Blood rushed to your face and you quickly hurried off up the stairs after Mora.

Mamono gave you plenty of room as you walked past. The college had declared that you were to be given an arm’s length of personal space at all times, and that any violation of your personal space would be treated as an attempt to rape you. In time, when the mamono got used to your presence, this stipulation would be lifted. Hopefully by that time you will have courted a waifu.

As you reached a landing, Morala abruptly turned and exited the grand staircase. You followed her through the thick wooden doors into a small skyway. It sloped at a gentle incline upwards to what looked like another grand staircase embedded into the side of the mountain. Morala was humming contentedly and looking over a sheet of paper with what looked like various instructions. You could only read a few words, but your name seemed to show up a lot. She had also doodled some flowers and a stick-figure painting of herself and some fairies eating a comically large cake.

“You’ll be living up there, with the other men!” she said pointing to the left of the next stair case. 

She was pointing at a large building, carved out of the mountain side. Similar to an apartment building, it had rounded, staggered floors that jutted out away from the cliff the lower they were. Gaps in the buildings gave way to terraces that were accessible from most floors. Of course, the building was made of stone. Another grand staircase adorned the opposite side of the building, meaning that this dormitory was in a central position relative to the rest of the campus. A harpy landed on one of the patios and walked out of view. The scene reminded you of photos you had seen of Mesa Verde in the American Southwest.

“Wow…” you said looking up at the building and the surrounding countryside.

“Isn’t it pretty? I love sitting up on the terraces and having picnics with the fairies. The boys are so kind to us.” said Mora with a little flutter.

You began to tell her about some of the buildings in your world as the two of you walked up the stairs and onto the lowest terrace.

“Let’s see here… you’ll be in… this one!” said Mora spinning in a full circle before pointing to one of the entrances.

She strode over and produced a key with characters and numbers stamped onto it.

“Here’s your key! Don’t lose it, okay? You need it to get into your dormitory.” She said handing it to you. 

Yes mom.

With a twist, the door unlocked, and you pulled it open. The interior was brighter than you would have thought, being halfway under a mountain. Angled skylights and windows allowed the natural light to poor in. It also became apparent that only residence rooms were on the sunny side of the building. The rooms posterior to the sunny side were few and far between; inhabited solely by cleaning supplies and toiletries.

For the first time in more than a month, you saw another human. A man around your age and his peers watched you from their chairs as you passed through a lounge.

“Hey Morala, am I going to have roommates?” you asked as the group began whispering behind you.

“No, you’re a bit of a special case. We can’t risk anyone but you having access to your room. That’s why it’s so important to remember that key!” she said.

She glanced back at you after a moment of silence. “Oh, but don’t worry! There are plenty of people just down the hall. Look! This is the closest lounge to your room. Say ‘hi’ everyone!”

Morala began to wave excitedly at everyone in the room. Two people were eating at a table, one was studying, and three were just having a drink. All of them stopped what they were doing to stare at the titania flail her arm at them. 

“Hi…” said a man slowly lowering his drink.

Silence followed the single halfhearted greeting, and the man who had been studying scoffed and went back to work. The duo at the table resumed their meal.

“See? You are friends already!” she exclaimed.

Is this seriously the person they chose to guide you? THIS is the best they could come up with?! At this rate any relationship you hoped to establish with the community would be undermined by this air-headed ditz. Sure she was nice, but if this lukewarm reaction was anything to go off of, she was as clueless as she was shameless.

You give a little wave to some of the guys as you pass by and quickly follow Mora. She ascended a small spiral staircase, (your legs were starting to give out after climbing so many stairs), which led to a single door. 

“Here we are! Isn’t this exciting?” asked Mora.

For once you shared her optimistic attitude. This was your new room: where you would sleep, live, work, and relax. No matter where your adventures took you, this would be the place you came back to.

Morala’s breasts press against you as you gently push her aside to unlock the door. She doesn’t seem to mind, and wiggled in excitement smooshed between you and the wall. With a loud thunk and a blast of air the door swung open.

The room was small, roughly the size of a college dorm room on earth. It had all the basic amenities of one too; a desk, a closet, a window, and a bed. The furniture was made out of sturdy wood smelling faintly of pine. The legs of the bed frame were almost as thick as your thigh. Perhaps mamono beds had to be stronger than their human counterparts for obvious reasons.

The room had not been used in some time. As you stepped through the threshold, motes of dust swirled around you. The air wasn’t stale, it was merely aged. It had a pleasant earthy scent of times long since passed. Running your finger along the desk, you accrue a sizable lump of dust on your fingertip.

“This room hasn’t been used in a while, the last person who was housed here was a dignitary from a different city.” said Morala, as her wing beats created elaborate patterns on the dusty floor. “The maids said they would be along to clean up everything by this evening.”  
You gently wipe away a layer of grime from the window and look out. The college sprawls beneath you, giving way to the town and then the lake below. This room was situated in a small tower that jutted out from the side of the building. Morala bounced up beside you and pressed her breasts into you.

“Anon I’m hungry. Let’s go see the dining hall next!”

Normally you would have protested the full body contact, but Morala had been specially screened by the college for this task. Her intentions were pure, and the amount of mana she put out was only mildly dangerous to you. She could be around you all day without killing you, unlike most mamono.

“Alright, we can go. I was getting a little hungry anyways.” You said gently shrugging her off of you.

Morala did a little wing-assisted hop and walked out of the room.

~~~~~~~

The dining hall was a stunning work of architecture. A massive convex wall of windows overlooked the town and the lake beyond. One could exit through doors on either side to reach a patio beyond. 

The floor was packed with tables, benches, and booths. There were several places were tables were raised a few steps above the rest of the rabble. Judging by the appearance of the mamono sitting at the tables and the men they had hanging off of them, it was the popular or wealthy girls who separated themselves. Most monsters just happily sat and ate their food with their friends. Except the ones at the benches. The picnic-style table set up looked more like a free-for-all between the hungry patrons. A plate of food would be passed down and a flurry of hands would lash out to empty it. All the food was served in large portions, allowing for the diners to serve themselves as much as they pleased. A strayos laughed loudly and almost fell backwards onto you as she drained her tankard.

“This is where we eat!” said Morala.

So you had gathered.

“But don’t eat anything! They have to cook your food special.”

“So where should we sit?” you asked looking around for a suitable seat.

“My friends are over there!” said Morala excitedly pointing to a table.

She was gesturing at a raised table that was swarming with fairies. A fresh plate of dinner rolls was set down and they scattered briefly before converging on the steaming bread. It was humorous the way they swarmed the bread; like piranhas in old cartoons.

This was another perk of having Morala as a guide: she was unlikely to have any friends who were potential sex offenders. Fairies were a perfect mamono to sit with as they were incapable of forcing themselves onto you and their mana output was negligible. Not that it mattered when you were trapped in a room this size with dozens of monsters. You could already begin to feel the onset of malaise that accompanied your mana allergy. Lunch would have to be quick.

You keep close to Morala as you work your way over to the table, doing your best to ignore the stares and whispers behind you. Glancing over your shoulder, you see most of the mamono in the room have trained their gaze on you. You would have made eye contact with a succubus, but she was completely fixated on your ass. Swiftly, you divert your gaze. Dealing with mamono was a lot like dealing with a gorilla; no eye contact, don’t smile, don’t approach them, and if one comes after you, death is almost certain.

The swarm of fairies begins to rise and seethe as you and Morala approach.

“Mora! You brought the guy!”

“The guy!”

“What does he do?”

“Are you married?”

The ball of pygmy people engulfs you and the sounds of the cafeteria are drowned out amidst the din of tiny wingbeats.

“Settle down everyone! Anon is just trying to eat.” Morala pulled up a chair for you, causing the fariries that had been resting there to fly away protesting. “Here Anon, have a seat.”

You sit down slowly so as not to crush a stray fairy as Morala sits next to you. The fairies on the table form a semicircle around the two of you and stare at you with fascinated eyes.

“Could one of you fly back to the kitchen and tell the cooks that Anon is out here? I believe they prepared some food for him earlier.” said Morala. A few fairies fluttered off towards some large doors that presumably led to the kitchen.

“Is everyone on your world as big as you are?”

You looked down to see a fairy sitting on some kind of berry that was as big as her torso.

“Some were. Most people were about my size. There were some who were bigger and some who were smaller. I was average.” you replied.

“How small were the smallest people?” asked another fairy.

“Maybe… about this much shorter than I am.” you said holding a hand level at your sternum.

“Do you not eat what we eat ‘cause you have to eat alien food?” said a fairy hovering in front of your face.

“It’s not alien food. I’m not sure what it is they’ve been feeding me all this time. All I know is that it isn’t tainted with mamono mana, or they’ve somehow purified it. The mana makes me sick.” You replied.

More and more fairies began to ask questions as you opened up. There was no way you could keep up with the deluge of tiny voices.

“Calm down everyone! There’s only one Anon, remember? He can answer your questions at the lectures he’s going to give about his world. Right, Anon?” said Morala with a smile.

“Of course.” you said.

The fairies that had flown off to the kitchen returned, doing cartwheels and flips through the air. One flew towards the titania who offered her a hand to perch on.

“Mora! They said the food is coming. It looks super tasty!” she said.

“Splendid! Thank you very much little one.” said Morala using her middle and index finger to pat the fairy’s head.

Sure enough, a cart carrying a tray of food was wheeled out from the doors, accompanied by two guards. The succubus chef passed the plate to one of the guards who set it down in front of you. She waved her hand over it and her palm glowed faintly.

“What’s that for?” you asked as she pulled out a piece of paper and jotted something down.

“Head Practitioner Hicera’s orders. We’re to inspect anything you eat for traces of sabotage, and record how much you’re ingesting at each meal.” Replied the dullahan quietly.

“Hope you enjoy Anon! It’s so nice to see the face I’ve been feeding after all this time!” said the chubby succubus chef. She was almost spilling out of the apron she was wearing, and you had no doubt that the lettering on the front was nothing short of scandalous if you could read it.

“You haven’t made anything I couldn’t eat yet. Sorry for all the trouble this must have cause you.” you said.

“Nonsense! Cooking for you was a great way to try cooking in a whole new way! Let me know if you need seconds, okay sweetie?” she said. She gave you a wave and returned back to the kitchen. The guards exited the cafeteria and you were left to enjoy your meal. 

“Mr. Anon?” asked a timid looking fairy from behind a dinner roll.

“Myeh?” you replied through a mouthful of food.

“Aren't you scared of the other monsters?” she asked.

You swallow your food and reach past the crowd of fairies for a napkin. “No, not really. Why?”

The fairy sunk a little further behind her roll. “It’s just that they look at you funny. It…uuh… makes me nervous.”

A chill runs down your spine. This whole time you’ve been seated with your back to most of the cafeteria. But now that she mentions it, you can see the mamono in your peripheries eyeing you and Morala. Keeping your gaze low, you twist around ever so slightly to look over your shoulder.

The room went quiet.

From what you can see, every set of eyes are trained on you. As you turn back to your meal you swallow hard. You swear you can hear someone licking their chops. And several low ‘ufufu’s.

“Anon is very brave! He won’t let anyone rape him. Tell them Anon!” said Morala.

As much as you would love to tell the adorably innocent fairy royalty that your pelvis was in no danger, Magnara, Hicera, and Oroba had told you in no uncertain terms NOT to declare yourself beyond molesting. To do so would be taken as a challenge by less scrupulous mamono.

“Uhh… well… Wow! This food is so good! Where does this meat come from?” you ask attempting to deflect the question.

“It comes from a hog! It’s a very popular cut of meat here in the demon realms.” said Morala.

“Oh, how interesting. What about these berries?”

The rest of the meal was Morala and the fairies talking about where all the various foods on your plate came from and which ones they enjoyed the most.

“… and this fish comes from a shallow reef off the coast to the west. Oh! Look at the time! Anon, we should get to your first class.” said Morala unseating herself. 

You awkwardly pushed away from the table, unsure what to do with your dishes and silverware. Stacking all your utensils and plates, you see other monsters leaving theirs on the table. Leaving the messy pile of cutlery, you hurry after your guide.

~~~~~~

The first class that you were to attend was located in a very plain classroom. Honestly you had no idea what the classrooms would look like. Probably somewhere between Harry Potter and a sex dungeon is what you had figured. But the room you were in had desks, windows, a chalkboard, and several bookshelves and charts on the walls.

“Okay, let’s see here… Ah! This is where you will be taking Introduction to Magical Theory. The professor will also be your academic advisor.” said Morala. “This class is really important, so do well in it okay?”

No idea why you would ever NOT try to do well in a class but alright, point taken.

“Where is the professor?” you asked.

“She’s right there silly.” said Morala.

You turn around and almost bump into the owl harpy staring into your soul. With a shriek you topple backwards into some desks. A thunderous crash resonates through the room as guards break down the door with weapons raised.

“ANON! STAY DOWN! WHERE’S THE ENEMY!?” shouted a lizard woman doing and impressive but wholly unnecessary flip onto a desk.

“It was professor Aegoli!” said Morala, unfazed by the display of force.

The guards quickly surrounded the bird-woman who hadn’t moved or broken her stare since the guards had entered the room.

“You tryin’ to rape Anon? Huh?” said the lizard woman prodding her with the tip of her sword.

“No.” said the harpy. Her voice was flat and uninterested.

“I uh… don’t think she’s trying to rape me. She just startled me.” you say getting to your feet.

“Hmmm…” the reptile woman and her compatriots sheath their weapons and begin to leave. “Alright, but if she tries anything just call. I’ll always be there for you Anon.” she said giving you a wink and making a little gesture that you didn’t understand. “And YOU.” She said pointing at the owl. “I’ll keep my eye on you. Keep those talons to yourself.”

Your entourage exited the room, walking over the door and out the splintered frame.

The three of you stood in silence for a few minutes before you spoke.

“Sorry about that. I guess they’re a little overzealous about protecting me.” you said.

“There concern is justified. You reek of mana. What a queer specimen you are.” said the harpy twisting her head at strange angles to examine you. Eugh.

“Professor! It’s me! Mora! ‘Member? I was in your class!” said Morala floating over to hold one of her hands.

“Yes. You always worked so hard. Good thing you did, too. You were so close to failing.” said Aegoli trying to pull her hands away from the effervescent fairy girl.

“This is Anon! He’s a human from another world!” said Morala pointing at you.

“I know that, Mora. They briefed me about all of this. Everyone has heard of his arrival and unusual circumstances surrounding him.” she turned to you. “Mora has no doubt informed you of who I am: professor Agoli. I will be teaching you the basic theory of magic, and how to preform foundational spells that will be used in your other courses.” she said.

“Pleased to meet you.” you reply.

“I am also your advisor, so if you have any questions that this one cannot answer, please let me know.” She said as Morala embraced her and buried her head in the harpy’s thick neck plumage.

“Ahh! Teacher, you’re even fluffier than I remember! Did you finally find a husband?” asked Morala.

The owl’s face did not change, but there was a hint of blush in her cheeks as she pushed Morala away.

“Yes, I did Mora.”

“Really?! I’m so happy for you! I was afraid you would be lonely forever! But when did it happen? I never got an invitation to any wedding or party…” said Morala.

You wondered if the owl’s kuudere attitude was a trait of her species or the result of dealing with too many Morala’s over her teaching career. You swear you could hear a faint groan coming from the poor avian as Morala nuzzled her.

“I’ll be sure to ask you if I have any questions…” you reply turning away from the embarrassing spectacle.

“Excellent. I have also been tasked with assisting you prepare for your lectures. I look forward to learning more about {Ersh}.” said Aegoli using a taloned foot to push Mora away by her sizable bust. It looked painful, but Morala kept smiling anyways.

“I’d be happy too. It’s the least I can do for all the college has done for me.”

Aegoli nodded. “Morala, you should take him to the next class. He must be able to navigate the college in a timely manner. No sense in showing him around if he never arrives on time.”

“But you never complained when I was late Agi! You even said I should just sleep in and miss your class if I had too!” said Morala.  
You glanced sideways at the owl. She was staring through Morala, not at her. Poor woman.

“Come on Anon! Let’s go to the next class.” said Mora.

You waved goodbye to Aegoli and hurried after the flying fairy princess.

~~~~~

The other classes you were taking were defensive magic, world history, and applications of magic. You went to each of the other rooms, and met with the professors in their offices. All that was left was to procure all the books and stationary you would need for your classes.

“I hope we can find everything you need. You came at a weird time. We were in the middle of the semester when you arrived, and some classes had to be condensed since you shut down a whole entire building.” said Morala fluttering up to some shelves in the library.   
Thanks. No need to make me feel guilty or anything. Sorry to inconvenience everyone by almost dying all the time.

“Catch!”

You look up just in time to see a meaty tome make contact with your nose. The pain and surprise cause you to jump back and slam into a bookshelf. More literature rains down on you.

“You were supposed to catch it Anon! Do they not have catching in {Eerk}?” said the titania.

“Quiet you two!” hissed a voice.

Freeing yourself from the pile of books, you see an angry arachne scurry over and begin re-shelving the books around you.  
“The only reason you’re even allowed back in here is because of HIM.” she said angrly. The last of the stray volumes was put back onto the shelf and she turned to look at you.

“I am the head librarian of this institution; Head Archivist Ixade. Pleased to meet you, Anon the human.”

“You as well. I look forward to working with you.” you answer.

“I’m here too Ix! Me! Remember? Morala!” said Morala loudly from behind you.

“Mr. Anon, you did not know this so I will not hold you in contempt, but that girl is banned from the library. She is too much of a… disturbance.”

“I’m not disturbance! I’m a titania!”

“I’ll try to keep visits as short as possible while I’m here.” you assure her. “I am curious, how are books organized here?”  
The spider woman’s face lights up. “Well, we have a very efficient system that organizes books according to the subject matter, authors name, date of publication…”

You do your best to listen to what the librarian has to say, but most of it goes over your head. It was important to be on good terms with Ixade. With no internet access, any research you would need to do would send you here. Having someone who could assist your helpless ass in finding pertinent literature would be invaluable. Especially since you were only semi-literate. Morala may be able to help, but you got the impression that you wouldn’t get any studying done with her around. How she managed to stay in college was a mystery to you. 

“…leaving the autobiographical accounts from contemporary times on those shelves over there. Was that helpful?” finished Ixade.

“A little. I’m afraid I don’t know any of the popular works of this world. If you asked me to pick a book about an important mage I may be able to find a book, but I’d have no idea if it was a good choice.” you explained.

“Oh! How silly of me. I forgot just how ignorant you were to our world. Come with me.”

Ixade skittered off down the aisle, forcing you to power walk to stay close to her. She clambered over a circular desk that was attended by other librarians all hard at work writing or reading. She pulled a quill out of an inkwell and wrote down several things on a small note.

“Here. These titles are what I would consider ‘essential reading’ for our students. There are also books about the world and its history to give you a foundational understanding of your new home.”

The last sentence caused you to flinch. This really was your new home. In a matter of months you had travelled across dimensions and continents to be here. This was the first permanent home you had since Earth.

“Thank you, I’ll be sure to read these.” you said pocketing the slip of paper.

“Ah, and before you go, could you help me understand something about your language?” asked Ixade. Her face was a little red, but you figured that she had enough self-control to stick around a bit longer.

“Alright, what did you need?”

Ixade produced a scrap of paper cluttered with malformed letters. “Err, I was trying to write my name, but I wanted to make sure that I wrote it correctly.”

You looked back up at the expectant spider woman. Other librarians had paused their work to come and look at what was happening.

“Err… there are a few things that are out of place, but it’s better than most attempts I’ve seen. Here, let’s start with the first letter. You picked ‘e’ when you should have written ‘i’. And because it’s a proper noun, you need to {capitalize} it. Here…”

You worked the arachne through writing, correcting her mistakes and helping her to write legibly. No easy task, considering she had YOUR handwriting as an example.

“So… this?” asked Ixade twisting the paper around for you to inspect.

“Hmm… yep, that looks right to me. There’s no official spelling for this in my language, but this is how people would write it if it were.” you say with a nod.

“Ooh, wow. Let me see Ixade!” said another librarian.

Morala tugged your sleeve. You turned away from the excited archivists to see Morala waiting patiently. Her perennial smile was still plastered on to her face, but she seemed a bit tense for whatever reason.

“Anon, we should go. It’s getting late and we need to get dinner.” She said.

“Yeah, of course. I was getting hungry too. I’ll see you around, Ixade.” you gave a wave to the spider-woman and made for the exit, followed by Morala. Her tiny feet hardly made any noise as she walked after you.

~~~~~~

After a filling dinner, you returned with Morala to your dorm room. Sure enough, the room was almost unrecognizable from this morning. 

There wasn’t a speck of dust to be found anywhere, and the bed had been made with a welcoming quilt and soft sheets. The desk was laden with writing instruments and paper. The crusty rug from before had been replaced with a plush carpet.

“Wow, they really cleaned this place up!” you said walking over to the closet. There were now shirts and pants hanging above a small dresser. Opening one of the drawers you found an ample supply of socks and underwear.

Looking over your shoulder you saw Morala looking out over the college. Taking a spot next to her you looked out over the moonlit town below. A sea of tiny lights rolled over the hills to the lake below, shimmering in the cool night. Fantastic constellations sprawled over you, never before seen by any citizen of Earth.

“Are you alright?” you asked the fairy.

“Hmm? Oh! Of Course, Anon! I was just appreciating the beauty of the college at night. It’s pretty late, so I’m going to go back to my room now. I’ll see you tomorrow for your first day of class!”

Morala fluttered out of the room quickly. You yawned. It really did feel late. Slipping into some comfortable sleepwear, you extinguish the candles in the room and crawl into the cool sheets of your new bed.

~~~~~~~

“Are you okay Mora?” asked a pixie.

“Yeah, you look like something is troubling you…” said a fairy with concern.

“Oh, I’m alright little ones. I’m just tired. I had a long day of helping Anon around all day!” said Morala, back in the lounge of her dormitory.

“Do you think you’ll get married to him?” asked a fairy excitedly.

“I don’t know about that… Anon is a wonderful man, but I’m not sure that I’m someone he would be interested in…” said Morala.

“You just have to make him see!”

“Make him see! Make him see the you that we see!”

“Is it that you don’t want him?”

Morala squirmed. “Well, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it or anything…”

There was an explosion of noise as the hoard of miniature women squealed in unison.

“Eehee! Just show him Mora! Show him what a good wife you would be!”

“No, I can’t. I can’t seduce Anon, I’m responsible for him. And besides it’s too dangerous.” said Morala.

“It’s not seduction if he falls in love with you!”

“And if he does, you can just stay with him until he’s strong enough!”

Morala rose from her seat, spilling several fairies onto the ground. “I… I’m going to bed. Goodnight everyone.”

She hurried into her room and shut the door behind her. What was wrong with her? She had been feeling strange ever since the library. Something about seeing him pay attention to those librarians while ignoring her made her feel… bad.

Morala put out all the candles and climbed into bed. Oh well. She knew she would feel better when she saw Anon again tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

The sun streamed in through the curtains into your new room. Outside the town began to stir and prepare for the day ahead. Birds called their mates with cheerful song. Dew rolled off the grass, running down to the shimmering lake below. Morala continued to slam against the door.

“Anon! Anon! Come on! It’s time for your first day of classes! ComeonComeonCom…”

You throw open the door for the titania who has been attempting to rouse you for the past thirty minutes.

“Morala. Class doesn’t begin for another hour. Why are you here.” you asked.

She blushed and twirled a bit of her hair. “I wanted to make sure that you weren’t going to miss any classes. Since you’re up, let’s go eat!”

“Fine. Let me get dressed and I’ll be out in a second.”

Morala nodded and stepped into the room.

“Morala.”

“Yes?”

“Could you wait OUTSIDE while I change?” you ask in the least condescending tone you can manage at this hour.

“Oh! Yes, of course. I’ll be out here if you need me.” she said as she walked out the door.

Funny, she seemed a bit more… monsterish than normal. Maybe it was because you weren’t wearing a shirt…

Must be that there banana-mana or somethin’.

Making a mental note not to flex your rockin’ bod in front of mamono, (just kidding, you were still Oliver Twist mode; starvation and a coma will do that to a guy), you sally out the door to indulge in whatever the succuchef had prepared for you. Mora nearly dragged you down the stairs when she saw you, fluttering off with you behind her to the cafeteria.

~~~~~

After a delicious breakfast of some sort of eggs, it was finally time for your first class: Introduction to Magical Theory. With professor Aegoli. Try as you may, you could not get the image of her with a mustache and a chef’s hat out of your head. Heh, Italian owl.

Morala had a different class at the same time, meaning that for the first time in two days you had a much-needed break from her saccharine naiveté. Good girl, but completely intolerable at times. 

Right now you had bigger fish to fry; the biggest fish perhaps. Where to sit. This would determine how well you would do in the class, and whom you would inevitably befriend. And avoid rapists. That was probably the most important thing to consider when choosing a seat. A C- in the class was preferable to being molested into an early grave.

You sneak a quick glance at the guards flanking you. Just by looking you can tell that they are married. Married guards always have a sort of bored look on them at all times. No doubt thinking about what they would rather be doing with their husbands instead of babysitting an alien. But they sure knew how to keep you safe. Already they had stopped two separate plots to abduct you. Or so you’ve been told.

Taking a deep breath, you push open the door to the classroom.

Naturally, everyone turned to stare at you. Not that this bothered you anymore. After a week or so, you had become accustomed to being the center of attention when you entered a room. They always stopped after a few minutes and things could carry on as usual. Just act casual Anon, just act casual.

But things didn’t go back to normal. The atmosphere was unbearably tense.

“Anon, there’s a chair right here!” offered a succubus.

The veritable powder keg of repressed sexual tension exploded. Mamono began arguing loudly about where you would sit. It was really more informative than any sort of conventional class introduction could ever hope to be. 

Just like on earth, there seemed to be a gradient of nerdiness based on the position of the monster in the room. The mamono in the front of the room were all engaged in a heated debate over your seating position, laying out carefully constructed arguments and backing up their points with facts. Some were even working in coalitions with others near them.

In the middle were standard students. More insults and ad hominem remarks were being tossed around in this section. You were more concerned with the back of the class.

The rough-looking monsters were a few seconds away from brawling. A werewolf, an ogre, a dark elf, and a manticore were all raring to go. The desks were covered in claw marks and what appeared to be dried semen. A bold succubus said that they didn’t have a good reason for you to sit in the back of the room, which was countered by “there are more seats back here, bitch.” What a delicate flower.

“Anon, if you come sit next to me, I won’t hurt you that much~” called the dark elf.

The ogre roared and swung a massive arm at the tan woman, who dodged it with an impressive drop.

Should a' just stayed in bed.

As you were debating whether or not to just cut your losses, a chill rand down your spine. Turning around, you find Aegoli only a few inches away from you.

“It seems your presence had caused a bit of a disturbance…” said Aegoli.

“Sorry…” you mutter.

“Fret not. You are not responsible for this disarray.” said Aegoli. She shuffled past you and took her position at the head of the classroom. The front of the room quickly returned to their seats and stopped arguing. The mamono in the middle of the room skulked back to their chairs, but continued to whisper amongst themselves. In the back, the werewolf broke a chair over the back of the manticore.

“QUIET.”

Aegoli’s voice seemed rang out through the room. Her tone was as soft as ever, but it was like she was speaking directly into your ear. The mamono in the back were subdued by the guards accompanying you. The werewolf and manticore were dragged out into the hallway, flailing and shouting at each other. Everyone watched the door as their voices receded down the hallway. A spine that had been lodged in the ceiling fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Now then, Anon, you are free to choose any seat you please.”

Oh lawd teach, don’t do this too me… There was no way to do this without offending anyone. Time to minimize the amount of despondent stares you were about to get.

The back was certainly out of the question. Even now the dark elf was giving you a wild eyed look and nodding her head to the desk next to her. When you began to look away she flashed a knife she had in her lap and smiled.

Hell naw.

The front seemed like a nice place, but you didn’t want to be surrounded by a hoard of thirsty orbiters every waking moment. If you sat there, the monsters would surely misinterpret it as a sign that you were in love and wholly committed to them. Some looked crazier than the elf…

The optimal seat was in the no man’s land between the nerds and the normals, closer to the door than the window. Gotta stay focused after all.

You do your best to ignore your screaming instincts to run and the lascivious chop-licking of the girls around you as you take residence in your new seat. All vacant seats nearby are immediately filled by mamono. There’s a clatter as the dark elf practically dives into a seat two rows behind you. With every ounce of willpower and courage you possess, you look past the lecherous gazes of your classmates and resist the urge to swallow. Don’t show any weakness.

“I am certain that you are all intrigued by Anon’s abrupt appearance…” began Aegoli. “But I expect all of you to be welcoming and supportive of him. You all know what will happen to you if you violate the rules set in place to protect him.”

“Oh I’ll be violating something alright…” said a demon next to you under her breath.

“He already had a tutor, and he does NOT need anything from you. Any advances you make will be unwanted and unwarranted. I will not prevent you from interacting with him, so long as you have good intentions.” said Aegoli.

“The BEST intentions…” muttered a lamia.

“…And I would remind all of you that you are here to accrue knowledge, not just chase boys. Your studies come first, and will give you all the skills you need to find a husband. Now, are their any questions?” asked Aegoli.

“When is he going to be fuckable?” asked the ogre loudly.

“No? Then please open your books to page 46 and read the passage on mana flow.” said Aegoli turning to scrawl on the board with some sort of wing chalk-holder.

Reading. Right. With all the planning and touring you had been doing it had been a few days since you had practiced your Common. Most of what you knew was conversational. Opening your book you were unsurprised to see a slew of unknown symbols staring back at you. Oh well. Opening a folder of paper, (students didn’t use notebooks, they just used loose-leaf paper to take notes), you begin to take notes as best you can in English. Morala could help you translate them later. 

~~~~~~

Thankfully, the class was intended for novice magic users. It was clear that you were far behind the others, but not so far behind that you were completely clueless as to what was happening. Your knowledge of magic from media and stories on Earth gave you a tentative foundational understanding of what was happening.

Magic was a way to use mana to influence the world around you according to your whims. Aegoli went into various spells and the mechanisms of how they affected the world, and who created or perfected the spell. Interesting stuff, even if you didn’t know what half of it was. Looks like you were going to be paying a visit to Ixade later.

As you stretch your hands, you notice that the lamia next to you is watching your paper intently. Not you, for once in this perverted world, but your notes. Glancing down at her paper, you can see she’s attempted to copy some of the things you’ve written down. Cute.

The snake-woman realizes you’re watching her and quickly covers up her paper with an embarrassed grin.

Looking the other way, you could see that the holstaurus sitting on the other side of you was also interested in your writing. Damn, those were some nice titties.

Seeing how interested the mamono were in you made you wonder how many would attend your seminars. The first one was in a few days. The way you figured, monsters will be bored with you already since you can’t be fucked, or the hall will be filled with sycophants hoping to cozy up to you so they can take you when you’re ripe. But that was a problem for future Anon. Right now, all that mattered was class.

~~~~~~

A short while later, class concluded and Aegoli assigned the homework. Too bad, you had hoped to leave homework behind when you came to a different dimension, but no such luck. Deep down you knew that you needed the extra practice even more than the others. You didn’t understand most of what was said anyways. It was going to be impossible to pass any class or learn anything without oodles of extra help from the faculty and Morala.

On cue, Morala practically ripped the door of its freshly replaced hinges. She blew past the other mamono who were lingering near the door and tumbled over to you.

She brushed the dust off of her uniform and tried to say something.

“Morala, calm down. Catch your breath. What’s going on? What’s wrong?” you said, offering her a chair.

She dismisses you with a wave of her hand and supports herself by resting her hands on her knees. After a few deep breaths, she wipes the sweat off her brow.

“Huuh… huhhh… Hey… Anon. Nothing’s wrong. I just… *wheeze* came to see you.” said the Titania.

She looked like she just ran a marathon. You had seen her belly when her uniform had ridden up a bit and she was not the fittest fairy. 

“I thought you had class...”

“I did. It just ended.” said Morala taking a seat. She did a little twist in your chair, gyrating her hips against it. 

Hmmm….

“We were going to meet at the cafeteria after the next period. Is there some reason you’re here?” you asked. You really needed to start moving towards the next class. It was pretty far away from this one and you needed to allow extra time in case you got lost.

“Well, I just happened to be in the area…” Morala began trying to look casual. 

You heard a disgusted snort and saw a dark mage roll her eyes.

“…And I figured that I’d walk you to your next class. It’s my job after all. You know, to escort you around and all.” concluded Morala. She peeked around the room as she put emphasis on the last line. Sure enough, several mamono clenched their books or hurried off. Fuck.  
Was this mild-mannered fairy woman jealous?

No way. This was Morala. She may not be very socially conscious, but she didn’t seem like the jealous or defensive type.

Okay, so she was probably a LITTLE jealous. But that was probably because she was just protective. Even if she did want into your pants, she was chosen because she didn’t have the guts to try and rape you. 

“I’ll be fine.” you insist, trying to defuse the situation. “Just go to your next class and we can meet for lunch, okay?”  
Morala’s ears wilt a little. “Yeah… Okay, Anon. I’ll be there to eat lunch with you after the next class.” she said with a bit of forced jubilance. 

She followed closely behind you as you exited the room. Doorways were a difficult task these days with guards, thirsty mamono, and Morala tried to pass through at the same time. It was the only place where your personal space could be violated without offence being taken. A dark priest took a deep inhale as you squeezed past her. 

Stumbling out past the warm bodies and lingering hands, you begin the walk to your next class.

~~~~~~

“Lemme see… Yeah, we’re almost there. It’s the second to last door on the left.” said one of your bodyguards returning the slip of paper with your itinerary.

Time for Applications of Magic. From what Morala had said, this was a more interactive course. Gently pushing the door open, you peek inside. 

The first thing that you notice is that the monsters here are dressed differently than the ones you normally see in the college. Instead of a uniform, these men and women seem to be dressed in some sort of gym outfit.

“Ah, Mr. Anon. There you are.” said the professor, a rather fit succubus.

“Hello Professor Fornue. Sorry I’m late, I got a bit lost…” you explain.

“Don’t worry, you’re right on time. We were just about to head down to the training field. Some classes will be held here, and some will be outdoors. I’ll let you know at the end of class so that you can go straight to the venue I assign.” said Fornue.  
“How far away is the field?” you ask.

“It’s a ways a way. I’ve already organized transport for you. Oh, and here.” she said tossing a bundle of clothes at you. “You’ll need to change into those before you get there. But not here!”

You unfold the clothes a bit to see what they’re like. “Transportation?” you ask refolding the new garments.

“I’m afraid it would take too long for you to walk all the way down to the field itself, so a wyvern agreed to carry you there.” said Fornue.

Now that she mentioned it, you noticed a bored looking wyvern watching you from the front of the room.

“We need to be going, so you’ll have to get acquainted on the way there. The rest of you, stop staring at him and get down there.”  
Monsters grumbled as they exited the room, or took flight out of an open window. They were headed east, past the town towards the fields beyond the city wall.

With a loud scratching, the wyvern strode over to the window sill. She sat with one leg hanging off the edge and the other inside the classroom, looking at you.

“Hi, uhh… nice to meet you. What’s your na-“

The reptilian girl gave an exasperated huff and rolled her eyes. Rude.

“Alright, fine, we can skip the introduction. How does this even work? Do I just dangle or something?”

She motioned with her wing to come closer. You stand next to her, looking out the window.

“Now wha-“

Before you can finish your inquiry, a powerful wing slaps you out the window. The impact leaves you too stunned to scream as you fly headfirst towards the ground.

Then with a painful lurch, your body is stopped. The wyvern had caught one of your legs in her powerful talons.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” you scream at her.

Ignoring your protests, she leans forwards out the window and begins to drop.

All you can do is scream and clutch your clothes as you plummet towards the ground. She gently decreased her angle of decent until the two of you are gliding towards the field below. She glided at least, you were busy muttering profanities and trying to get the blood out of you head. The way you kept twisting and swaying weren’t doing any wonders for your stomach either.

After a minute, your head connects painfully with the ground and you tumble across the cold dirt. That bitch! Instead of setting you down gently, she just slowed way down and tossed you. Rubbing your head, you see her wheel away and fly back towards town. 

“Are you alright Anon? Looks like you need to practice your landings.”

Fornue walks towards you as you pick yourself up and dust yourself off. 

“Go get changed over there, and in the future, please try to be in those clothes before you get out here. It’s nor very safe for a man to be changing outside the walls.”

“Yes professor…” you reply. Shaking the dirt off of your clothes, you walk to the stand of trees to get changed.

~~~~~

The new clothes were comfy, but they were a bit thin for the weather. Goosebumps overtook your arms as a gust of wind buffeted you.  
The field was exactly the same as any field on Earth; flat and empty. A few targets were lined up some distance away, and there was a row of stone weights resting on the ground. Beyond that, only thing around was a crowd and your class. There must be some sporting match or something today. Maybe the school had scrimmages between classes?

Striding over to the class, you situate yourself between some bigger girls for shelter and warmth. They don’t seem to mind.

“Alright, we had a lot planned today, but I know that none of you are going to be focusing on anything by Anon’s aptitude test, are you.”

“You got us there, professor!” shouted a monster.

The class chuckled, but you were a bit worried. Morala had mentioned a test in this class, but the way she talked about it made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. Oh fuck, were all those people here to watch YOU? Normally stage fright wasn’t a huge issue for you, but the idea of botching a first impression on so many people made you swallow.

No big deal, just don’t fuck up. They probably know that you don’t know much magic; they won’t even have any expectations for you. Just some curious monsters who want to see you, as soon as they figure out that you’re a normal guy they’ll go home.

“Anon, do you know what the aptitude test is?” asked Fornue.

“No, but I’m guessing that it’s a practical exam.” you said.

“Correct. Don’t worry, everyone here has taken it already. It’s just a simple test to see what your magical abilities are like so we can measure your progress. Just do your best; you can’t fail.” said Fornue. “Are you ready? I know it must be nerve-racking to be out here in front of all these mamono…” she said looking at the crowd.

“No! No. I can do this.” you said. No sense waiting. Better to just be done with it as soon as possible.

“That’s the spirit! We’ll start over here.” said Fornue moving towards the weights.

The weights were simple balls of rock, ranging from the size of a softball to the size of a medicine ball. Fornue picked up the smallest weight and placed it on the ground away from the others.

“Telekenisis is a simple spell, but one of the most convenient. Even experienced mages rely on this spell to expedite the simple tasks that would otherwise consume their day. Just pull the rock towards you.” said Fornue.

Yeah, you can do that. Raising you hand, you focus on the small orb and begin exerting mana. The stone begins to tremble and roll towards you. Ever so gently, you try to apply more force to the rock; enough to get it off of the ground.

The rock zigzagged towards you before shooting off at ludicrous speeds over your shoulder. Twisting around, you watch it sail over the rest of the class and land at the other end of the field. Your face flushes in embarrassment, made worse by the giggles of your peers.

“That’s alright Anon, just try that again with the second weight.” said Fornue.

Shake it off, you can do better with this one. Don’t let it get to you.

This time, you pulled the rock towards you first. It rolled slowly along the ground, over the lumps of grass or over divots in the earth. The class around you was silent. In your peripherals, you could see a demon crane her head back and sigh. Sorry this isn’t exciting enough for you, bitch.

When the rock was close to you, you stopped it and collected yourself. Holding out both hands, you pour all of your mental strength into lifting the rock into your hands. The weight began to vibrate violently and hover off the ground.

Yes!

The stone began to hum as the vibrations turned the stone into a smear of color. With an ear-splitting crack, the ball exploded.

No!

Shards of stone pelted your peers as they screamed. You got the worst of it, feeling several cuts open on your legs and arms. Thankfully, you had twisted away from the explosion and your face as unharmed. You really needed that, it was your bread and butter now.

Fonue stared at you as you coughed out the rock dust.

“Wow… uhhh… I mean…” she said. Sorry professor, but there’s no salvaging this.

“Is everyone okay?” you ask.

There was a wave of grumbling and pained groans from the class but everyone seemed fine.

“Well, there’s usually more to the test, but I think we should just skip ahead to the very end.” said Fornue. “There’s no way that you’ll be able to do anything that involves any precise control, but Magnara did mention that you packed quite a punch. Let’s see how you do with a spell you’ve used before.” 

Fornue walked you over to a line in the dirt in front of the targets. The rest of the class followed, albeit a bit further away. You don’t blame them. The crowd had begun to disperse. Too bad, you really wanted to make a strong impression on the town. Looks like you would just have to earn their respect the old-fashioned way.

“Just hit that target in the center there. No need to hold back. Just show us what you can do.”

“…Besides get us killed…” muttered someone behind you. 

The class snickered and Fornue glared at the mob behind you.

Get you killed? Bitch, I’ll show you killed!

Drawing on the power within you, you begin to focus on the target. It’s only about thirty feet away, and easy shot. Your heart pounds and your mind races with anger and humiliation from the day’s events. The dust around you began to swirl in a small vortex.

“Err, Anon? Maybe not that much…” said Fornue. You didn’t listen to her.

Another vortex began to spin around the target. Several classmates jogged further away. 

“Anon!” shouted Fornue.

The familiar feeling of power coursing through you fills you with warmth. The almost orgasmic feeling of release is within reach. With a shout, you pour your being into a destructive blast.

A column of blue energy shoots down from twenty feet above the target and incinerates the bundle of straw and wood. It also takes out the other targets in the row. And a good chunk of the ground. The blast wave knocks you off your feet, which would have happened anyways. By the time you were on the ground, the world was already a muted smear of grey. Oblivious to the screams of the monsters around you, you nestle your face into the cold grass.

~~~~~~

Something smelled good.

Really good.

Your eyes shot open to find the origin of the enticing aroma. 

There’s a hot plate of food next to your bed. Launching over to the nightstand you begin digging into the meal. Food never tasted so good!

You pause your feast when you realize that you have no idea where you are. Taking a look around, you quickly ascertain that you are back in the hospital bed that you had spent more than three weeks in. You rang the hand bell next to he bed, and heard the familiar noise of approaching hooves. 

“Back so soon, Anon?” asked Hicera.

“I just couldn’t wait to see you again.” you said. Hicera blushed a little but gave a small laugh. “How long was I out this time?” you asked.

“Not long, just a few hours. Your body must be adapting nicely to the demon realm.” said the equine doctor. “That was quite a show you put on from what I hear.”

You groaned. “Is it already a rumor?”

“More like rumors. I heard that you blew up a boulder the size of a house, that you’re possessed by a malevolent force, and that the fabric of reality is rebelling against your very existence.” said Hicera.

“The only malevolent force I’m possessed by is hunger. Is there any more food?” you ask.

“Of course. That was one of the most thorough cases of mana depletion I’ve ever seen. I told the chef that you needed enough food for two people over the next few days.”

“That bad, huh?” you said reclining onto the bed.

“Worse. I have to wonder, did you REALLY not know what you were doing? Most mamono and human mages have to train a long time to be able to access that much of their energy.”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Most magic users will grow more and more exhausted the longer they use magic. Similar to exercise, even a simple spell can become difficult if it is preformed enough times. Mages can use most of their mana, but only the best can access ALL of it without being consumed by pain of fatigue. And they always need three times as much food as well…” 

“Guess I’m just ahead of the pack…” you say shoveling a large medallion of meat into your mouth.

“You are though! You may not realize it, but if you can learn to control your magic just a little more, you could do incredible things! You just have to believe in yourself.” said the unicorn.

The doors burst open and Morala cartwheeled into the room. Scrambling across the floor, she hoisted herself up by the foot of your bed. It looked like she had been crying.

“Anon! I was so worried about you!” she said nuzzling her face against your blanketed feet. “I was on my way to go see you when I heard about what happened. You have to be more careful!”

“I know, I know. It’s not like I’ve ever done this before…” you retort.

“Well, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to help you recover. Don’t worry about a thing! Your teachers already know about what happened, so you don’t have to worry about class tomorrow.”

“No, it’s alright, I’m fine.” you said. “I just needed that sleep, and a good meal.”

The titania’s ears drooped in despondence. “A-are you sure? I’d be happy to just sit here with you! I could help you with your work too!”

“I appreciate the concern, Mora, but I’m fine. Really. I have to get back out there. I can’t spend my whole life in this bed.”

“You’re certainly trying…” ribbed Hicera.

You swing your legs off the bed and stretch. The fatigue that usually accompanied a mana purge was present, but much more tolerable than last time.

“Well, I’d better get to my OTHER bed. Gotta be ready for the day tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning, okay Morala?” you said, hoping to raise her spirits a little.

“Yeah! Of course! See you soon.” she said.

She still looked sad, but you knew she would be back to her chipper self in the morning.

Collecting your things, you wave goodbye to the nurse and fairy.

~~~~~~

“Umm… excuse me…” said Morala quietly.

She was back in her dorm, and most of the fairy flock were sleeping soundly in their tiny hammocks in the rafters.

A pixie wheeled about and turned to face her. “Oh! Morala! How’s it going? Having man troubles again?” she asked condescendingly.

“No! I told you! Anon is free to love whomever he pleases. I-I’m just worried about him, that’s all. I don’t like it when he runs off; it make me worry for him.”

“So, you want him close to you…”

“Yes.” 

“And you want his attention right? You don’t want him mingling with other monsters. They may harm him!”

“Yes! Exactly! That’s all it is! Concern for him! He just doesn’t understand what’s best for him. How much I give to try and keep him safe...” exclaimed Morala.

“How insensitive! He should be dropping to his knees in thanks for all that you do.” said the pixie.

Morala blushed. “He doesn’t need to do THAT, but I would enjoy some affirmation for my efforts on his behalf…”

“Then why don’t you get them?”

Morala paused. “Huh?”

The pixie did a flip in front of her.

“Yes, Mora! There are ways! Ways to keep him safe! Ways to prevent ill fortune from befalling him! Ways to ensure that he only has eyes…” the tiny woman flew close to the titania’s face. “…For you.”

“…For me…”

“Yes! Wouldn’t it be lovely? And Anon would never have to know. You don’t want anything to happen to him, right? It would be terrible if he was taken by some savage beast who couldn’t appreciate him like you can!”

Morala squirmed in her seat and looked out the window at Anon’s building. The light in his room flickered softly. She could just make out his shadow shifting around the room.

“You say that there are ways to do this, but I have never heard of any such magic…” lamented Morala.

“You know much, mistress. But not everything. There is more to be learned! Much more! I know the way, mistress. But I must ask; do you truly wish to learn?” asked the pixie.

Morala watched as the light in Anon’s room was extinguished. She turned to the tiny pixie with an uncharacteristically stern look.  
“I do.” she said confidently.

The pixie showed her teeth in a pernicious grin. “Oh, mistress… you won’t regret this…”


	19. Chapter 19

A child in the streets. Bare feet on crooked paving stones. Running through the market with your friends, stealing morsels of food and hiding from the cruel shop owners. Learning the art of weaving. Inheriting the family stall so suddenly. Settling down, making your home. Taking your wife and raising your two lovely daughters.

~~~~~~

For the first time in days, you were not roused by a hyperactive mega-fairy. Strange…

Shuffling to your door, you peek out into the narrow hall leading to the stairs. Nothing.

You quickly dress yourself and head off to the cafeteria. The silence is refreshing, but you feel exposed without the presence of Morala. The threat of rape feels imminent without your bubbly companion. Morala probably couldn’t do anything to save you if something tried, but mamono respected the fact that you were with her. Without Morala, you felt more exposed than ever. Gazes lingered on you longer than normal. Where you walked, conversations stopped, and whispers began. Increasing your pace, you hustle to the food hall.

~~~~~~

God bless these tiny fairies. Even with Morala absent, they were more than happy to have you at their table. Any mamono would be happy to have you at their table, but as the main course and not a guest. Their energy was also much more mellow than the other mamono, allowing you to stay near them for extended periods of time.

“Hi Anon!” said a fairy, alighting onto the lip of your glass.

“Hey there Pieris, where’s Morala?” you asked.

“I don’t know.” Said the miniature woman kicking her legs. “I haven’t seen her today. None of us have.”

“Is she sick?”

“No, not unless she came down with something overnight.” said Pieris hopping off your glass. “She was healthy yesterday, and last night. And she’s not in her room either. Maybe she’s running an errand or working on a special project.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s fine.” you reply, taking a bite of oatmeal.

“Mora is capable, Anon! She may not seem like it all the time cause she’s so happy and nice, but she’s really smart and stuff. She helps us all the time, even with really hard subjects.” said Pieris.

“I know, I’m not doubting her. She’s done a lot for me.”

“Well… Maybe you can… ‘return the favor.’ Hmmmm?” said Pieris smugly. 

That was the only downside to hanging out with these fairies. They kept trying to set you up with Morala. No matter how many times that you explained to them that coitus with ANYTHING in the demon-realm would lead to your soul shitting itself to death, the fairies kept trying to not-so-subtly push you into her arms. Most of them, some were trying to seduce you for themselves. Even now, one was struggling to fit herself onto a banana-looking fruit while staring at you and licking her lips. The idea that some fairy’s genitals had probably been on most of the food at the table made you lose your appetite.

“That’s not going to happen, Pieris. You know I can’t do anything like that without dying.” you say pushing your plate away.

“It doesn’t have to be THAT!” said Pieris jumping out to the way of your plate. “Just show her you care somehow! Give her a hug or take her someplace romantic. Hold her hand!” said Pieris.

“I don’t want her to get the wrong idea though. If I do all that, and Morala isn’t the mamono I marry, she would be crushed.” you said.

Pieris sighed and reclined against a saltshaker. “Well at least do SOMETHING for her. Make her a gift from {erg} or whatever. She’s really stressed about this whole situation even if she doesn’t show it.”

She showed it alright...

“I know. I’ll think of something. I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now.” You said.

Pieris glanced over at your platter of oatmeal and fruit. “I thought you had finished eating? And besides breakfast doesn’t take all day.”

“No, that’s an idiom from Earth. It means I’m busy with a lot of things.” you reply.

“Oh! I see. Well, I have to get to class. Let me know if you need any ideas of what she likes!” said Pieris fluttering away.

Wiping your face, you scoot away from the table as the fairies swarmed your plate, fighting over who got to eat the fruit you had bitten into.

~~~~~~

Your first class of the day came to a close and you were growing increasingly concerned with Morala’s absence. Not just because the wolves were closing in, (seriously, the werewolf was stalking you), but also because she seemed like the kind of girl that doesn’t get sick. The kind of frustratingly tenacious individual who’s positive attitude acts as a panacea against all ailments. And even if she was sick, the fairies should have heard from her. It just wasn’t like her to disappear like this.

But as you rounded the next corner, you saw Morala standing next to the door to your next class. She looked different… Her posture was poor, and her face wasn’t as radiant. Guess she really was sick.

“Morala!” you said, calling out to her.

She perks up immediately and smiles. “Anon!” she said fluttering over to you. “How was your morning, were you alright without me?”

“Yeah, I was fine. Are you sick? You don’t look so good.” you said.

You couldn’t tell from a distance, but Morala looked awful. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her appearance was slightly messy. Her hair had a few errant strands of hair poking out of her braids, which hung under one of her crooked flower hairpieces. There was even a stain on her robes. It was a bit shocking to see Morala in this state. You hadn’t realized it, but you had already come to expect a very high standard of beauty from your peers.

“I’m fine! I just didn’t sleep that well.” said Morala. “I was up late working on something important and I just lost track of time. No one bothered you, did they?” she asked.

“Nah. I’m fine.” you reply confidently. No need to worry her with anything. At any given time there were at least three or four mamono tailing you. They never did anything, just kind of followed you around. You were perfectly safe with all the protection the school was providing you. Hell, you didn’t even notice them for a week or two. As long as they kept their hands/claws/appendages to themselves, you saw no harm in indulging their curiosity.

But Morala didn’t seem convinced. She pursed her lips and squinted. Such a look from Morala of all people was enough to make you take a step back in surprise. 

“Are you sure Anon? I need you to tell me if there’s any trouble.” she said folding her arms.

“No, really. I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong.” you say. 

Morala ignored you, instead focusing on something behind you. You turn around to see the tail of the werewolf poking out from around the corner. Morala brushes past you without a word.

“You! Get out here!” she shouted, quickly advancing toward the canine.

The tail straightened in surprise, and the wolf-girl moseyed around the corner attempting to appear nonchalant. The titania remained unconvinced and the werewolf crossed her arms and huffed.

“What do you want Morala? I wasn’t doing anything. I stayed plenty far back. ‘Sides, Anon doesn’t mind, right Anon?” said the werewolf.

It was a loaded question to be sure, and there was no correct way to answer it. But before your mind could cobble together an incoherent string of stuttering, Morala’s hands flared with magic.

With one hand, she swept the werewolf against the wall. The wolf yelped and raised her own hands, but Morala used her other hand to pin the poor girl’s hands to the wall. 

“Stay. Away. From him.” Morala hissed. 

The werewolf howled and thrashed against her magic bindings. “He’s not yours, you crazy cunt! Let me go! You’re insane!”

Morala closed her hand a bit and the wolf girl’s howling grew more frantic.

“Morala!” you shouted rushing over to her.

At the sound of your voice, Morala jumped a bit and lost hold of the werewolf. She crumpled to the floor in a heap.

“Don’t worry Anon, I’ll keep you safe, just stay back and let me handle this.” said Morala sweetly. She raised her hands again.

“No!” you shouted grabbing her wrist and yanking it away from the whimpering werewolf.

Morala’s eyes shot open and she whipped around to face you.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” you shout.

“Protecting you…” said Morala. Her eyes were fixed on your hand grabbing her wrist and she had a distant look in her eyes.

“You call THAT protecting me?! She wasn’t doing anything! And even if she was, that was way too much force. Just leave it to the guards!”

On cue, several armor-clad women storm into the hallway. The students spectating the incident cried out in alarm as they were pushed aside. 

“EVERYBODY GET MOVING.” boomed a formidable looking living armor. The guards quickly carried the werewolf off.

“Now then…” said the sentient suit. “Just what happened here?”

Morala stepped in front of you before you could say a word. “That woman was about to attack Anon! I could tell by her body language. Before she could reach him, I stopped her. Then she tried to use magic, but I stopped her.”

The suit of armor took out a small notebook and scribbled something down while muttering something. “Alright. Glad to see that it’s how it looked. Less paperwork.” said the armor tucking the notebook into a hip-pouch. “But don’t let us catch you using magic like that again unless they’re already on top of him.” she said pointing a finger at Morala. “You may have the privilege of being his guide, but you are still a student. While on this campus and in this town matters of his security are OUR responsibility.”

“Excuse me ma’am, but I don’t think that that girl was going to attack me.” you interject.

A plated gauntlet raised to open the visor, revealing a man looking at you with a scowl. “Who are you calling ma’am?”

“O-Oh. Sorry.” you said.

A shimmering mist coalesced on his shoulder and a pale woman took form. She wrapped her hands around the man’s neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “Husband, don’t be mean! He can’t tell what’s in me. Sorry about that, he gets so serious when he works.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Dear, please. Not while we’re working…”

“If you stay nice, I’ll stay quiet. You know how this works.” said the spirit of the armor. She gave her husband a kiss on the cheek and faded back into the metal.

“Anyways, what were you saying about the werewolf?” asked the man.

“She was just following me. I don’t think she meant any harm. I’ve seen her do it before, and I never felt like I was in any danger.” you said.

“Anon, calm down. I know she may have seemed innocent enough, but you aren’t from this world. You don’t know what signs to look for.” said Morala. Her condescending tone grated on your nerves.

“She’s right.” said the man flatly. “She was probably stalking you, learning your habits and schedule so she could find an opportunity to rape you. Some mamono do that. And besides, she attacked you, didn’t she?”

“No! She didn’t! She got dragged out into the open and pinned against the wall!” you protested.

“It’s alright Anon, it all happened so fast. Why don’t you go to your class and I’ll make the report. We can talk about it later if you still think that she wasn’t a threat. Okay?” said Morala with a smile.

This was crazy! Sure you weren’t from this world, but you don’t need to be an expert to understand what just happened.

“Move along, boy. Your guide is right; just get to class and leave the rest to us.” said the man sternly.

Clearly this was a fight you couldn’t win. Collecting your belongings, you shuffled into the classroom.

~~~~~

The rest of the day passed without incident. On the contrary, monsters gave you even more space than normal as you passed them in the halls. Some mamono whispered as you walked past them.

Just how fast did rumors spread around here? With no entertainment besides other people/monsters, it was a safe bet to say that gossip was one of the staples of this world.

“Anon!”

Morala stepped through the crowd to walk with you. “I was getting worried about you! I didn’t see you at dinner.”

“Yeah, I just wasn’t hungry...” you said.

“Well make sure you eat something! You need more food than the average person after all.” said Morala admonishingly. “I can’t have you fainting on me.”

“Yeah…”

Actually, you just wanted to get away from Morala for a bit. You still weren’t past the attack earlier.

Morala began telling you about her day as you made your way back to your dorm. Everything that involved magic went over your head.  
“Oh! And then I finished up that report for the guard couple. She was so cute the way she was hugging him, huh?”

“Yeah I guess…” you reply. Taking a bit of a detour, you walk out onto one of the patios. The city was as beautiful as ever. Thousands of lights shimmered in the fading light, as the last rays of day turned the lake into a brilliant gradient of yellows and oranges. Morala leaned next to you on the railing.  
“Are you alright? You seem sad.” she said.

“I don’t like what happened earlier today.” you said flatly.

Morala flinched. “Oh! That… I know it was scary, but it’s over now. There’s no need to worry.”

“No, Morala. I’m not that stupid! I know that poor girl wasn’t about to attack! She was just curious, and you threw her like a ragdoll!” you said slamming your hand down on the railing.

“…I just want to keep you safe Anon, that’s all.” said Morala, matching your stare. You could tell she was hurt by your accusation. “She shouldn’t have been stalking you; you know that. We have orders to leave you alone unless you are interacting with us. Do you really think she would have JUST followed you forever?”

You sigh. She had a point. What was cute and endearing to you may have been the warning signs of potentially dangerous behavior. Just because you had read a short paragraph in a book back on earth didn’t mean that you knew all the mannerisms of a certain species, much less the habits and personalities of individuals. What you knew was just scratching the surface. Maybe Morala WAS just protecting you. It can’t be easy for her when your life hangs in the balance. And she was a bit sick too…

“I guess you’re right.” you mumble. Morala smiled warmly. “But that doesn’t mean that you should have pinned her to a wall! What were you thinking? You should have just called the guards.” you scold.

Morala shrunk back a bit. “I-I know. It all happened so fast. I don’t know what came over me. I promise, next time something like that happens, I’ll leave it to the guards.”

“Good.” you reply. “I didn’t like that side of you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Morala.

“When you had her, just the way she was screaming and the look on your face, that wasn’t the Mora I knew. It was the kind of behavior I would expect from some mamono like a dragon or something.”

“A dragon? M-me?”

You watch a ship lazily sail towards the port. “Forget about it. If you’re willing to let the guards do their jobs, then I don’t have any issue with that accident. Just remember, I’m not totally helpless, okay?”

She beamed. “Deal!”

“Well, I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.” you said.

“Sleep well! I’ll be there at your lecture tomorrow!” said Morala as you walked away.

Right! The lecture. Damn. You had worked with professor Aegoli and Magnara to come up with a list of probable questions so that you could think of some answers. Ehh. No problem. Winging it would be fine, it’s not like anyone could call you out on little discrepancies. If you needed more time to give an answer, you could always revisit the question next lecture. How hard could it be anyways?

~~~~~~

Morala flew silently down the deserted halls. There were few mamono who came to this tower, even during the day. The room she was standing in front of had not been used in years. She checked over her shoulder to ensure she was truly alone, she produced a small key and inserted it into the lock. With a twist, she opened the door and quickly closed it behind her.

The floor glowed with runic circles, the beginning of the teltomancy she was practicing. A pixie was sitting on a table, smugly watching Morala.

“I heard about what happened today mistress. You surprised the whole college!” she said gleefully.

“He wasn’t happy.” said Morala folding her arms. “And I won’t be doing that again. The way he looked at me was…”

“It doesn’t matter!” said the pixie. “You saved him! He appreciates that right?”

“Y-yes, I do think that he understood that it was for his own good.”

“Wonderful! You made so much progress today, mistress! You have to assert yourself! Be indispensable. You have to make him realize that he NEEDS you.”

“How?” asked Morala softly. “He doesn’t want me to protect him… How else can I show him how much I care?”

“Ahh... mistress... Don’t fret. I’ll teach you everything you need to know! Just have faith, mistress. We still have much to accomplish. Now, do you have it?”

Morala nodded and produced a small paper envelope. She set it down on the table for the pixie to open.

The tiny woman unsealed the paper and withdrew the hairs Morala had dutifully collected off of Anon’s clothing.

“Very good, Mora. Now, shall we begin tonight’s lesson?” said the pixie with an insidious smile.

~~~~~

The excitement was palpable. Everywhere you went there were mamono excitedly chatting about your lecture later that day. Even the less studious monsters were anticipating your talk it seemed. You just hope that the security would be enough to stop a riot if one broke out. With great hesitation, you peek out from the wing of the stage.

The auditorium was massive, but there were fewer mamono than you would have expected. Seating was much different when one person/monster could take up ten square feet. There were normal seats in the middle, and strange cushions and poles for unconventionally shaped mamono to rest on or lean against. In the rafters, there were rows of perches for harpies and other flying monsters. The rows were organized opposite their terrestrial counterparts, with the front rows being higher in the air than the rows closer to the back. In the corner, you saw the wyvern that carried you to the training field perched with her husband. She had a dopey grin on her face as he nuzzled her neck and squeezed the base of her wing. Huh. Guess she had a heart after all...

“Are you ready Anon?”

You jumped as Magnara appeared behind you. Halitt strolled up beside her and put his arm around her waist.

“We know you’ll do great.” he said. “There’s no pressure here; just answer their questions. We’ll be right there with you to help you out.”

“And you don’t have to answer any questions that you don’t want to!” quipped Magnara.

You heard the familiar sound of hooves approaching. Hicera cantered up to the three of you with her own paperwork.

“Anon, I’m not sure this is a good idea…” she said biting her lip. “There are just too many mamono out there; I’m not sure that your body will be able to handle that much demonic energy.”

You were still clueless as to how exactly demonic energy worked, and how it affected you.

“Anon will be fine.”

The clack of heels sent a shiver down your spine. Oroba sauntered up to your growing entourage.

“He’s been fine so far, and the stage is warded. If anything goes wrong, you can take him away Hicera. But he needs to make an appearance. There are more than students in this audience.”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“There are some foreign dignitaries, nobles, and scholars from other institutions here. I don’t mean to put you under any undue pressure Anon, but you will be representing Admaz and the College today.”

“Are you sure that we won’t have a repeat of last time?” asked Hicera.

You nervously glanced up at the curtains, which were still singed from your last appearance on stage.

“Yes. We have enough security to stop a lilim. Nothing will get through to him, I guarantee it.” said Oroba sternly. She was pretty intimidating… And she was certainly not wrong. The foot of the stage was lined with guards in full armor, as well as some mages. Beyond the wall of bodies you could see Morala waving at you from the front row.

“She’s right, Hicera. You can make the call if you think I need to get off the stage, but Oroba is right. There are a lot of people… err… mamono out there who are looking forward to this. I need to at least make an effort.”

Hicera sighed. “Alright Anon. Just please, don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t Hicera. I promise.” you assured her.

“That’s the spirit Anon!” said Magnara. “Now le-“

“SHOW TIME!”

Everyone jumped as the phantom head of the drama department shot up through the floor.

“Get out there, and put on a good show!” she said before sinking back into the floor.

“Hate it when she does that…” muttered Oroba.

You took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.

There was a thunderous applause as you emerged from the wing. It was easy to tell who was a student at the college and who was visiting. Your peers clapped politely, while the mamono from other institutions stared at you. In a section near the front, a pack of mamono were furiously sketching and scribbling on canvases and paper. That must be the press… Did they even have a press?  
Magnara took the podium while you took a seat behind her. The applause died down and she began.

“Hello, and welcome to the College of Admaz.” she began. “I’d like to give a special welcome to the nobles and visitors from other cities. We know that traveling is arduous, but we hope that you find the lecture worth the trip. My name is Magnara, and I am a professor of human studies when I’m not in the field. I was the one who discovered Anon…”

You frowned. “No, you weren’t.” you thought. That was Arsofina. And ‘discovered’ felt like the wrong word to use for a person.

“…And brought him here. During our travels, I had the privilege to learn about his world and culture. And so, with great pleasure, I would like to invite Anon to the podium to answer your questions and teach about his culture.”

Magnara stepped away while the crowd clapped. You stepped up to the podium and adjusted your materials.

“Good afternoon, and thank you all for coming.” you said.

The applause died down as the mamono listened intently.

“I assume all of you are aware by now, but I am from a different dimension. I still don’t know how I got here. My world was very different than this one, and so were the cultures and people. I don’t want to spend the entire lecture talking about one history topic, as I’m sure that there are many of you with questions, and I want to answer as many as possible. Therefore, I will speak briefly about any pertinent history or culture and then move on unless the audience wishes for me to continue. Please note, that I will NOT be answering any questions relating to my genitals, preference in mamono, or sexual disposition.”

A chorus or groans emanated from the crowd and several mamono got up to leave.

“Now then, we have some ushers in the audience who will pass an amplifier to you if you are chosen. So, without further ado, who would like to ask the first question?”

Scores of appendages shot up. Oh geez, who should you call on?

“Uhh… let’s start with… you.” you said pointing to a succubus near the front.

The atmosphere changed instantly. Every monster in the room turned to glare at the succubus, except for her friends, who were kyaaaing and congratulating her.

As the usher zombie shuffled towards her down the row, you glanced back at Magnara.

“This is bad!” you hissed. “Do they think that I’m gonna marry her or something?”

“They’re just jealous! Don’t worry, things will calm down as you call on more monsters.” reassured Magnara.

“Umm…”

You turned back to the audience as the succ began her question.

“You mentioned that the people of your world were different, but was everyone as pale as you?”

“Well, I’m not THAT pale, but to answer your question: no. There were certainly many people with my skin tone, but there were also many people that had different skin colors. How someone looked usually depended on their geographic location; someone from a country on the other side of the world may not look like me, but they would look like other people from that country. Next question?”

This time you opted to call on a harpy sitting in the rafters.

“Is it true you’ll die if you have sex?”

You looked at Magnara and Oroba, who nodded in approval.

“Yes, that is true. My body cannot process demonic energy well enough for me to have sex. Even second-hand exposure to demonic energy can kill me. That’s why it’s so imperative for me to have all of this security.” you said.

“Anon!” whispered Magnara.

“Do not make any implications that you need protection!” murmured Oroba.

Oops. Oh well.

“Next question?” you said pointing to a wight.

“Hello Anon~ I am countess Anarenta, and I read in the pamphlet that your dear teacher Magnara published that your language is very different than our own. Could you perhaps demonstrate a bit of it? Maybe take off that amulet and say a few words?”

“Of course. Could I have the slate?” you ask. Halitt wheeled the board over to you, and you wrote the alphabet in chalk. “The main difference between our languages is that mine is phonetic. Each of these symbols represents a different sound, and words are made by organizing them in the correct order.”

You removed the amulet of articulation and raised the pointer to the first letter.

“The first letter is ‘A.’ It can make an ‘ah,’ an ‘a’ or ‘aw’ sound.” the crowd murmured in excitement as you spoke in an unheard exotic language. “I’ll use it in the word apple…”

You carried on in a similar fashion, listing the common sounds that the letter made and a short word demonstrating that letter.

“There are some special rules to follow sometimes, but I won’t get into the grammar right now.” you said, slipping the amulet back on.  
The crowd applauded lightly and you selected a cupid for the next question. The zombie tried to offer her the amplifying stone, but the cupid shied away from it. The zombie shoved it at her and she froze. As the cupid began to tremble and sniffle, a houri reached across her and seized the stone.

“We want to know what marriage was like on your world!” she said.

Well, that was inevitable. You were surprised that it had taken this long.

“Well, it was similar to here in many regards. Two people would find each other, get to know each other, and then decide to be together. Most people dated for a few years before they decided on that though. And unfortunately, it wasn’t as glamorous as it was here. Sometimes couples separated after they married.”

“Why?” asked the houri.

“There were a lot of different reasons. Sometimes it was a lack of money, a difference of opinions on where to take the relationship, infidelity, or just… falling out of love.”

The crowd shifted at the word infidelity. 

“But that was all uncommon, right?” said the houri hopefully.

“Uhh… well… not VERY uncommon, but yes, more people remained happily married than those who did not.”

The houri looked distraught, but you really didn’t want to go down this rabbit hole. I’m sorry tiny Eros woman! Pointing at an ogre, you move on.

“What the fuck is ‘dating’? Izzat some kind of courtship?”

There was a groan from the demons, succubi, and wealthier mamono in the audience. Others rolled their eyes. But the ogre and some of the more ‘rough and tumble’ monsters were looking at you intently.

“Err… yes. Dating is when two people go on a ‘date,’ and spend time with each other. You needed to know your partner well, because marriage was a big investment of time, money, and stress and you needed to make sure that the person you picked was a good match for you.”

The ogre seemed a bit confused by your response, so you just moved on.

“Let’s go with… you. The holstaurus in the back.”

“Umm… I was wondering what the food from your world was like.” she said softly.

“A good question, and one that I’m not really sure how do answer. Really there isn’t any difference, we ate plants and animals that we raised. The animals and plants may be different, but the taste of the meat and plants still follows the general scheme… How do I say this… Small birds taste like small birds and cows taste like beef. The taste of a demon realm steak is close enough to a normal steak. I’m sorry if that doesn’t answer your question, but the meals here are one of the things that’s most like my home.”

“Anon, could you call on the vampire noble over there? She’s a very important guest.” said Oroba.

“Got it.” you say. “Yes, the vampire in the front.”

The pale woman rose with a flourish of her cape.

“So, mortal, I hear that you are far stronger than others of your ilk…” she said puffing out her chest. 

There was a short silence as you waited for her to continue.

“Uhh… my ilk?” you ask.

“Yes! Other mortals. Is it not true that you have within you a grand magical talent that you used to defeat a tribe of savages and a horde of lesser mamono attempting to defile you?” she said with a huff.

“Lesser mamono?” you ask Magnara.

She rolled her eyes. “Just normal monsters. It’s a vampire thing.”

“Yes, I did. But it was an accident! I don’t have control of my magic yet. That’s why I’m here.” you said.

The vampire nodded slowly. She sat back down and began whispering with the wight next to her.

“Okay… in the back there.” you said pointing to a curvy woman in the back.

As she took the amplifier, you could hear sniffling and soft crying. Oh, it’s a banshee.

“I *sniff* I just want to say that it is SO BRAVE of you to *hic* be here at this college doing all of this for us. You must have left so much behind when you came here and… and…”

The banshee lost control of herself and began wailing into the stone while she collapsed into the arms of her neighbor.

Fuck that’s hot.

Even from this distance you swear you could see her tears run down her cheeks and disappear into her cleavage, or be swallowed by her plush black lips.

“ANON!” screamed Magnara.

“Shhh…” you said absentmindedly. Why was she bothering you? You were busy.

The other mamono were just as bad. They were shouting and moving around. You couldn’t hear the banshee anymore. Trotting towards the edge of the stage you set out to find her.

But before you could jump off into the crowd, something yanked you backwards. You rocketed back into the sizable chest of Hicera, who waved her hand in front of your face. A shimmer of golden sparks shined in your eyes, and you lost consciousness.


	20. Chapter 20

“A banshee?”

“Yes. As soon as she started crying you slipped into a trance and almost walked off the stage. Good thing Magnara and I managed to reel you back in.” said Hicera.

You were sitting in a chair with a glass of herbs mixed with water. Your head was throbbing and your ears were still ringing from listening to the wails of the undead woman.

“I’m sorry about all that, we really should have prepared for something like that.” said the demonic college president Oroba. “But a banshee’s cry is different than the magic we warded against; it’s something very particular to that species. In a sense, she wasn’t casting anything, just projecting her grief.”

“It’s all right, president. I’m just glad that I wasn’t torn to pieces in the crowd.” you said between sips. Whatever was in the cup tasted awful, and looked just as bad. The opaque liquid looked like something someone had rinsed their hands in after sculpting with clay. It was sour going down, but left a bitter and salty aftertaste. Even monsters can’t make medicine pleasant it would seem.  
“Yes… Well, we will be certain to take that into account the next time you give a lecture. In addition, you need to be more careful with your word choice. Ever since you told the crowd about your condition, you have received no less than two dozen offers for a ‘personal body guard.’” said Oroba.

Finishing your drink, you grimace and set the cup down on the table. Hicera helps you to your feet with her dainty hands. How did she keep her skin so soft?

“Don’t worry President, the guards are quite capable. Besides, I think that if I really needed to, I could deal with a monster or two.” you said, channeling a bit of magic into your hands to make your palms spark.

Oroba and Hicera flinched as your hands crackled and the flames shot a bit higher than you intended. Oroba swept the pyrotechnics aside with a wave of her own magic.

“Don’t do that. Using magic for any reason not approved by the school is strictly forbidden. You may be a guest, but you will respect our rules during your stay here, understood?” said Oroba.

You nod and lower your gaze. She could be intimidating when she needed to be; that’s probably why she ran the college.  
“But that does remind me: I’ve tasked some of our artificers and mages to search for anything that could help you control your magic. Last I heard they had found some promising leads, but anything we find will have to be thoroughly inspected to ensure that it won’t cause more problems than it solves.” said Oroba.

“Do I really need something like that? I think I can get the hang of it with a little practice.” you said.

“Normally I would be inclined to agree with you, but you must understand that you are an anomaly. Using magic, one can project their will onto the world using the energy within themselves.” Oroba raised a pitcher of water into the air and gently poured a bit into one of the glasses on the table. “Most mamono and humans are limited in how much magic they can use at once. But you are more like this.” She tilted the pitcher ninety degrees. The rest of the water splashed out, knocking over the cup and running off the table. “From the reports, most of the magic you use is completely wasted. All those fires and explosions are bits of energy that could be conserved. Instead, you turn them into pyrotechnics.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Just gimmie the training wheels already.” you said. 

The door opened and a succubus asked for the President’s signature on something.

“Forgive me, but I really must be going. I’ll have the artificers deliver whatever they find to you. Farewell Anon, and keep up the good work. I hear from your instructors that you are making significant effort to learn and interact with your peers.” Following the succubus, she walked away swinging her hips. Why did they all have to do that?

“Alright Anon, you should get some food and actual sleep. And please, for the love of Eros, try to stay healthy.” said Hicera.  
Poor unicorn. It felt like half of your time in this world was spent comatose under her care. You didn’t mean to give her so much work, but this place was much more hazardous than you had imagined.

“I’ll do my best, Hicera. I really do appreciate all the care you’ve given me.” you collect your things and head out the door.  
Hicera gave a little wave and watched you go.

She sighed. “See you again soon Anon…”

~~~~~~

Another day, another action-packed instruction on magic.

Not really.

The College of Admaz was turning out to be less like Harry Potter and more like… a regular school.

You went to class, listened to lecture, ate lunch, did your homework, had language practice with Morala, and went to sleep. Doing fun things with your friends was off the table, as most of them wanted to abduct you. There were always the men of the college, but they were either too studious to do anything fun or screwing their girlfriends. The most excitement you ever got was the practical exams they put you through. You always failed, but it was the only time when you were technically allowed to use magic beyond telekenisis. Which for you meant a large hole being burnt into something.

And today was one of those days. After hitching a ride on your reluctant transport the wyvern, you stood on the practice field with the other students. They had stopped laughing at you, but you were guessing that it had more to do with your penchant for disintegration rather than respect. Whatever. Blowing things up was the most fun you were allowed to have, and dammit you were going to have a LOT of fun. Rolling up your slightly seared sleeves, you listen to Fornue begin her instructions.

“Alright class, listen up. We’re going to be working on warding. As you’ve been learning in Defensive Magic wards are an imperative part of any mage’s arsenal. Hopefully you never have to use them, but that just isn’t realistic if you plan on interacting with humans.” said Fornue.

You could feel the eyes of the mamono around you shift onto you.

“Warding against magic and warding against physical attacks are two very different spells. Today you will be demonstrating your understanding of the physical ward. This isn’t an oath of pleasure, just a simple barrier. Line up and start preparing.”

This was going to be difficult. It was a forgone conclusion that things were about to be blown up, but you didn’t like the idea of something exploding in your face. Or anyone else’s for that matter. Concentrating, you try and let only the slightest amount of energy leave your body.

“Anon.”

You exhale and lower your hands. Professor Fornue strode over to you with a small package.

“Oroba instructed me to give these to you.” she said handing you the box. “She said that these should be what you need to limit how much magic you’re using.”

Undoing the latch on the box, you opened the lid and revealed two rings. Both were carved gold bands with a gemstone you couldn’t identify. Oddly enough, the gems seemed to be cut very roughly compared to the intricate rune work on the metal. You tentatively slide one onto the ring finger of your left hand. It didn’t feel any different than a normal ring.

“Uhh… what exactly do these do?” you ask inspecting the jewelry on your hand.

“They just prevent you from blowing your whole load at once. So to speak.” said Fornue with a wink.

Right. Well, your arm wasn’t falling off and the ring was still removable so the artificers found something without a curse at least.

“Do I just cast a spell like I normally would?” you ask.

“That’s what I was told. Give it a try.” She said.

Raising your hands again, you attempt to visualize a shield in front of you. The warm flow of energy into your hands was stifled; the rings began to feel cool against your skin. With much care, you push the power out of your hands.

A convex dome appears in front of you. The sudden appearance of the glowing wall surprises you so much that you nearly lose control of the spell. It was the first time that you had actually gotten a spell to behave the way you had intended.

“Ooh! Very good Anon! You may just end up passing this class. Keep practicing. We’ll see how you do in the practical.” said Fornue. She left to inspect some other students, leaving you to your new-found power.

After retracting and remaking the shield a few times, you discovered that you could change the shape of the barrier. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it did prove that you were just as capable as the other mamono and human men at the college. Take that, bitches! Time to crush the practical.

~~~~~~

“Anon, it doesn’t matter if you failed the practical, what matters is that you learned how to control your magic! This is a huge step forwards for us.” said Morala.

So maybe ‘crush’ wasn’t the right word. It turns out that adjusting a ward in time to block a stick someone was swinging at you was harder than it looked. The first few swings were easy, but once she got past the barrier once it was impossible to regain your focus long enough to put the ward back up. Eventually you did manage to kind of bounce her backwards, but it was too late.

Morala finished up with her frost spell and released your bruised wrist.

“I guess… This just isn’t what I imagined learning magic would be like.” you said.

“What did you think it would be like?” asked Morala.

Drowning in pussy, dropping nukes on your enemies, attending fancy mage conferences, and turning mud into gold.

“Uhh… a little more hands on…” you said.

“There will be time for that once you get into the advanced courses.” Said Morala. “For now the most important things are your health and the people you meet.”

“Yeah. I guess I do need to make some more friends.” you said shuffling to the window of your dorm room.

“Not just friends Anon. Family.”

You turn to look at Morala. The comment and her tone were much more somber than her usual quips. She was looking at you with concern and pity on her face.

“Anon, you left behind your family in the other world. Friends are a start, but you need to find someone who can be there for you no matter what happens. I’m worried about you. This place…” she waved at your messy room. “…just doesn’t feel like home.” She said.

Fuck. You had been doing your best to avoid it since you had arrived, but losing your family was still a sore spot. Not only losing them, but knowing that they would never receive closure about your fate. For all they knew, you ran off into the woods to die.

“Yeah, I miss them. But I’m alright, really. There’s plenty for me to do here, and everyone is so supportive. I’ll be alright.”

Morala stood up and took hold of your hands. “You can’t tell me that when you’re trying so hard not to cry.”

Dammit.

You squeezed her hands tightly as a tear rolled down your face. “I miss them. But I’m too scared to think about them. I know that if I do I won’t be able to stop. I made my peace when I was in that forest; there’s no reason for me to keep torturing myself with their memory.”

Morala held your cheek in her soft hands. “It’s alright, Anon. You’ll have a family soon. I think every monster in the school would be happy to have you as their husband. And you’ll always have me.”

You let out a raspy sigh and lean into Morala’s delicate palm. She pulled you closer and gave you a hug. Under normal circumstances you would be worried about corruption or nefarious magics, but right now a hug was what you needed more than anything. Her head fit comfortably under your chin. Resting your head on hers, you inhaled the flowery scent of her hair. Behind her, two fairy wings beat excitedly and she snuggled into you a bit more. She let out a contented hum and rested more of her weight onto your arms.  
The two of you embraced like that for a few minutes; her stroking your back and you nuzzling her head. But you knew you had to pull away. Gently pushing your fairy companion away, you wipe your eyes.

“Thanks, Morala. I’ll be okay though, I promise.” you said. 

She gazed back up at you with sparkling eyes. “I know you will Anon. You should get some sleep. You look exhausted.” With a little flutter she hopped to the door frame. “Goodnight Anon.”

“Yeah, you too.”

She gently closed the door and left you alone in your room.

~~~~~~

You were feeling much better the next day. It was difficult losing your family like that, but Morala was right. There was plenty of love in this world for you. Probably more than the other world actually.

Donning your amulet and rings you set out for class. Hopefully you wouldn’t need all these accouterments much longer. All the items served their purpose, but you would prefer not to be covered in jewelry just to go about your day.

Meandering your way through the labyrinthine sets of stairs and hallways, you greet the mamono you know on your way to the dining hall. 

The fairies have a spot saved for you, just like they always do. That much hadn’t changed. What had were the tables around the tiny women’s sanctuary. Ever since you had become a regular at the fairy table, the other mamono had begun a subtle turf-war to claim the tables closer too you. Posses of monsters all rushed to establish a table for their friends/allies. The competition was fierce; there were only two or three tables near you. Everyone else sat at the long refectory tables in the center of the room. From what you could tell this was mostly married mamono and their partners, or monsters that had no interest in you. Some of the weaker monsters always managed to secure the end of the table closest to you.

No matter where they sat, they desperately vied for your attention by flashing you or attempting to eat their meal seductively. These advances always went ignored. The real danger was when they tried to use bait. 

As your body became more and more accustomed to mamono mana, more and more cuisines became edible. And it was damn good. Some of the dishes you just couldn’t get enough of, even if Hicera told you not to eat any. Through some autistically close inspection of your eating habits, some mamono had learned your preferences and would try to offer you your favorite foods. The guards stepped in when they tried to lure you in directly, but even now your peripherals were filled with muffins and breads. The temptation was awful.

“Mr. Anon!” said a fairy landing on the table in front of you.

“Yeah?”

“Was Lady Mora with you last night?” she asked. The tiny woman looked nervous.

“She was, but we didn’t do anything.” you replied.

“Where were you? Was she in your room?”

“Yes… why do you ask?”

“She never came back last night!” said the fairy anxiously.

“She’s missing?” you ask quickly.

“No, she isn’t, but… she’s been leaving us more often. She used to spend all her time playing with us and helping the younger fairies learn, but now she’s never around. Sometimes she doesn’t come back at night and none of us know where she goes. We really miss her…” said the fairy. She began to cry and you offered her the tip of your napkin. She took it and wiped her face clean.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. Morala still loves you all, I promise. She wouldn’t just abandon you. I’m sure she’s just busy; I’m probably responsible for that…” you said.

“No! It’s not only her absence! She’s changed! Some of the other fairies are noticing it too. Mora is less patient than she used to be. And she doesn’t talk to us like she used to. She sends us on all sorts of errands to get things, and never tells us what they’re for.” said the fairy. Her tiny voice rose with conviction.

“Alright. How about I talk to her? I’m sure that she’s just stressed. I’ll get her to tell you about the errands you run, and make sure that the rest of you aren’t neglected.” you said reassuringly. The fairy seems skeptical, but nodded in agreement. 

Wiping the crumbs off your mouth, you set out for the lecture hall as mamono waved their pastries at you.

~~~~~~

Taking your seat in Intro to Magical Theory, you take the brief period before class started to socialize with some of the other students. Initially you feared that your relationship would be strained by rampant sexual tension, bur you were able to hold normal conversations with taken mamono and their husbands. And there were endless topics to discuss; questions about this world and answers about yours.

Currently you were talking to a holstaur and her husband. The man was sitting in her lap, reclining into her chest. You were telling them about some of the fruits that grew where you lived.

“To your seats everyone.” said professor Aegoli in her monotone voice. “Before we begin with the lecture, are there any questions about Ramkirk’s conquest o-“

The door burst open. The guards in the room leapt to their feet and shoved you behind them. The students knew the drill and shuffled away from you slowly. A girl about a head shorter than you were stood in the doorway. 

One of her hands was outstretched towards you, and the other was resting on her hip. Her clothes were indicative of high birth. A lacy, black corset hugged her slender frame and a long cape hung from her shoulders. She wore skin tight pants that squeezed her lean thighs and tiny butt. Her chest couldn’t be more than a B cup. The look of confidence on her face was undermined by the fact that she appeared to be out of breath. For a few seconds she stood there, doing her best to hide her deep breaths by inhaling through her nose.

“Excuse me but just what are you doing?” said Aegoli flatly. Oh man she was pissed.

“Anon of Earth!” she announced. She wasn’t quite yelling but it was close enough for you to be startled by her outburst. “I have come for you with a most generous offer. Submit yourself to me and you shall know pleasure unending and power overwhelming. Rejoice!” she threw her arms out to the side to fluff her cape. “No more will you be forced to toil amidst the lesser races. You shall serve only me, and in service you will find rapture. Feel free to weep with glee, for you know not how privileged you are to have the chance to kneel at my feet.”

She finished her speech and held out a hand for you to take with a sneer on her face.

There was a long silence.

“Who the hell are you?” you asked. It was a bit more hostile than you intended, but something about her just pissed you off.

“Ah! Wh-! Who am I?! Are you really so ignorant that you fail to recognize greatness when it stands before you?!” she said.

“Listen lady, I’m not exactly accustomed to this place yet so don’t call me ignorant if I haven’t had a chance to learn yet.” you said.

Seeing you angry, she took a deep breath and flourished her cape again. “Then I shall educate you! I am Emballandae von Chiropta! Daughter of Petropa, president of the student council of Tomb Haven academy, beauty of the moon, and heir to the night!”  
There was another long pause as you looked around to gauge the reactions of the other mamono. Most looked tense, and some looked downright scared. A few glared at her with gritted teeth and clenched fists. Some of the men looked like they were swooning. Eeugh.

“…Okay…” you said. You still had no idea who this person was. Apparently powerful enough for the guards to not throw her out.

“That’s it?!” squawked Emballandae.

“I don’t know any of those names!” you shouted back in exasperation.

“They’re very famous and convey wealth and power!” she explained stamping her tiny foot.

“I surmised as much. The answer is still no. Please leave.” you said.

Emballandae collected herself and straightened her hair. She made the smuggest face she could muster, betrayed by her furrowed brow.  
“Ufufu… I can see you are a shrewd man Anon. So be it! Bring forth the dowery!” she shouted. 

A zombie shuffled in behind her carrying a small chest. The poor thing looked about ready to collapse. That may be a zombie thing, you don’t know. She unceremoniously dropped the chest onto the nearest desk.

“The lid you idiot! Open the lid!” hissed Emballandae.

The poor corpse fumbled with the latch and opened the chest.

The contents were stacks of what looked like gold bars, neatly arranged so that they took up all the space in the chest. No wonder the zombie was moving so slowly.

“This is just a taste of what is to come! As you can see, I tell you no lies. Now submit! Lest you evoke my ire.” she said spreading her legs and covering her face with her hand.

“Is that a lot of money?” you asked the holstaurus quietly.

“A lot o- What did you just ask?!” shouted Emballandae.

“I asked if it was a lot of money!” you shouted back.

“Of course it’s a lot you dolt! Look at how much fucking gold this is!” she said shaking the lid of the box.

“Don’t call me stupid, I don’t know what the currency of this place is like! People could pave streets with gold for all I know!”

“IT’S FUCKING GOLD, ANON!” screamed Emballandae.

She was panting heavily at this point and her pale face was flushed with anger and embarrassment.

“Well I don’t care how much it is! I’m not some prostitute. Pack that up and get the fuck out of here.” you demand.

She drew her cape closed around her and turned towards the exit. “Hmph! I think I SHALL. It’s your loss Anon the human. You could have had a wonderful life as my servant, but alas, you threw it away.” she took a few steps towards the door. “…I suppose I would be willing to forgive you if you begged me. Though I will still have to punish you~” she said looking over her shoulder.

“Get the fuck out of here you psycho!” you said.

She frowned. “Do you really mean that?” she asked softly.

You grit your teeth. What was wrong with this lady? “Yes I really mean that!”

Emballandae turned to face you. She looked pissed, but you could tell she was close to crying too. “Why?! I offered you everything didn't I?!” she demanded.

“You interrupted this class, belittled everyone else, called me stupid, and generally acted like a massive cunt. Now please leave, you crazy elf!” you said.

That did it.

Emballandae’s lip began to quiver as tears began to stream down her face. “…Elf…?” she whimpered. She began to sob and ran out of the room.

The class stood in stunned silence as her cries faded down the hall. The zombie closed the lid and slowly shuffled after her mistress.

“Anon.”

You turned towards professor Aegoli who had her face buried in one of her wings.

“That was incredibly stupid.”

~~~~~~

“Well how the hell was I supposed to know who she was?!”

“You mean besides the fact that she FUCKING SAID who she was and brought enough gold to buy every house in the terraced district? Gee Anon, I guess there was really no way to know that she was the daughter of an incredibly powerful vampire.” said Oroba.

You sighed and reclined into the plush office chair. Aegoli and Magnara were also present. Aegoli watched the discussion wordlessly while Magnara buried her face in her hands.

“I don’t care who she is. She can’t just talk to me like that.” you said flatly crossing your arms.

“Anon you called her an elf!” said Magnara. “Vampires are extremely prideful, you know that! You told me yourself you knew that! Why would you antagonize her like that?”

“I didn’t know for certain what she was!” you protested.

“She explicitly told you that she was the ‘heir to the night.’ This was more than sufficient to make an inference about her species.” said Aegoli.

You glared at the owl harpy. “It doesn’t matter! I told her no, and she wouldn’t accept it. The guards should have thrown her out the second she blew the door open.”

“If they did the undead cities would cut or tax all trade on our imports and exports, and the college would be locked embroiled in a legal battle. Do you know how hard it is to win against a team of monsters that can drag a case out for centuries? It’s impossible. I’ve seen dragons surrender because they were on the verge of bankruptcy.” said Oroba.

“One vampire has that much power?” you asked.

“The nobles of the undead cities may be rivals, but they are quite cooperative when something threatens their power. I daresay that your rejection was the first time that Emballandae didn’t get what she wanted.” said Oroba.

“I don’t know if ‘want’ is the right word. I knew vampires had a reputation for being cunts to their husbands, but I didn’t think it would be that bad.” you said.

“She wanted you alright.” said Oroba pouring herself a glass of liquor from the decanter on her desk. “Having you enter a bloodline would be an invaluable asset to any family. I’d bet every noble from here to Zipangu is thinking of a way that they can win you over.”  
“Is it really that important? I know that I’m the only one of my kind and all, but can’t they just get men from their normal supply village or cradle or slave market?” you ask.

“It is that important I’m afraid.” said Magnara clasping her hands together. “It’s bad enough that you’re exotic, but you’ve also shown that you posses a great deal of mana. The nobility is always trying to find the next best thing. In fact, some of the largest purchases the upper class makes are rare human men. A talented slaver can retire after a few good catches. Finding a virgin albino would net a slaver enough money on the market to live comfortably for the rest of their life.” she explained.

“So, what’s going to happen? Did I just start a war?” you said. Apparently the whole bloodline thing was more important than you had expected. Fucking rich people and their weird tastes. You would feel awful if there was any sort of consequence for the mamono of Admaz because you couldn’t get rid of that vamp fast enough.

“Thankfully no.” said Oroba. “We can just write this off as part of your culture. Though you WILL be writing an apology. Throw in some {englesh} words too. That will be sure to wow them. Just make sure you don’t sign it for obvious reasons.”

Not really sure what a vampire could do with your signature; that seemed like a demon thing.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll get Morala to help me whip something up.” you said raising yourself from your chair.

“Good. Make sure to flatter them.” said Oroba.

“Will she come back? I’d rather not have to go through that again.” you said.

“No, I think not. But there may be others. We’ll have to make it more clear that exceptions are not to be made for any royalty or nobility. If they insist I suppose that we can allow them to see you under supervision for a very brief time. I hope you can agree to that; I can only do so much as a college president after all.” said Oroba.

“Of course. Don’t think I take all this for granted. You’ve all worked hard to keep me alive. If you ever need me to do anything, I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can. As long as it doesn’t kill me.” you said.

Oroba smiled.

“You’d better get going Anon. The sooner we can post that letter, the more clemency we will receive from Countess von Chiroptas.” said Magnara.

Nodding, you pick up your bag and head off to the library.

~~~~~~

“Anon! There you are! I heard what happened…” said Morala seating herself next to you in the library.

“Yeah, you and everyone else…” you grumbled setting your pen down. The pens were close to their Earthen counter parts, but used magic to pressure the ink.

“And they said that you need to write an apology?” she said.

“Yep. Here’s what I got so far. What do you think?” you ask handing her the sheet of parchment.

“I think you shouldn’t have to apologize at all. That entitled brat doesn’t deserve anything from someone as kind and intelligent as you.” she said. Her wings wiggled in annoyance.

“Well, I don’t think an apology is too much to ask. I didn’t exactly reject her gracefully…” you said.

Morala looked up from your sloppy symbols. “You weren’t… interested in her, were you?”

“No, of course not. I want to marry someone who respects me.” 

“I respect you!” shouted a voice from behind some bookshelves. There was a hiss of silk and a yelp as the culprit was forcefully removed by the librarian.

“That’s a relief! I was thinking the same thing. You don’t deserve someone who would treat you like property.” said Morala.

“Well, no sense in making enemies. Let’s just write this and be done with it. As much as I don’t like her attitude, I do feel bad about making her cry.” you said.

Morala smiled. “You’re so considerate. Here, let’s start by fixing this greeting…”

~~~~

After an hour, you had succeeded in crafting the most sycophantic correspondence you had ever seen. The arachne librarian Ixade had graciously assisted the two of you in finding some information about Emballandae’s family and lineage. It was certainly long, and apparently well respected by how Morala reacted while reading it. She seemed quite concerned as she thumbed through the aged tome. The way she nibbled on her thumb was so cute though.

“Alright, I think that’s enough ass-kissing. What do you think, Ixade?” you asked handing the parchment to the spider woman.

Her brow furrowed as she scrutinized your letter. “Well, it’s not perfect, but it has charm. I think it will do just fine.”

You sigh in relief. “Great. I’m going to go post this. Do you want to come Morala?” you ask the titania.

“Sorry Anon, I have some things I need to take care of…” she said.

You remember what the fairy had told you this morning at breakfast. “Well, alright. Just don’t let your work take over your life, okay? The fairies miss you. It makes everyone worried when you disappear all the time.”

Morala perked up. “Oh! I… I guess I have been away often as of late. You are correct Anon, I should take care of those I love too. I’ll make sure to be more transparent about where I’m going.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. See you at dinner!” you said leaving for the school post office.

~~~~~

“It’s good to see that he’s becoming so self-sufficient.” said Ixade.

“Mmm…” grunted Morala absentmindedly.

“You’re not going to go with him?” asked the arachne.

“No… I need to do some research. Do you have anything else on the undead nobility?” asked Morala.

“Certainly. Is there anything in particular you need?” asked Ixade.

“All of it.” said Morala watching Anon slip through the library doors.


	21. Chapter 21

Things were going well. With the new limiter rings, you were finally making real progress with your magic. Compared to the others you were still a literal lifetime apart, but that didn’t matter. For someone who had never used magic until a few months ago, you were damn good.

Utility spells were the only thing you were learning, and all you wanted to learn. Many spells were only for monsters, and most of the ones that weren’t were still sex focused. There just wasn’t any need for you to learn such things. As soon as you became “ripe,” finding a wife would be literally as easy as walking out the door. In that sense, defensive magic was probably the most useful thing you could learn to fend off the undesirables between you and your true love. One of your succubus class mates who was particularly interested in you and your love life despite being taken already had even promised that she would help you get a maker for your “special someone” when the time came. 

But who would that be?

You had been in Admaz for quite some time now, (albeit half the time was comatose), and seen dozens of beautiful women. That was all well and good, but you wanted to have a more personal connection before she warped your soul. Interaction between other mamono was nigh impossible thanks to the guards, the warding magic, the rape attempts and the ever-present sexual overtones that pervaded even the most mundane conversations. You couldn’t even begin to count the times you had been interrupted by a monster trying to tackle you, only to be hauled away. 

It would be nice to see the rest of the world. Admaz seemed like a fairly normal place, as far as mamono cities went. But there was still so much to see. Zipangu, the Mist Continent, Ocean biomes… So many places with so many different kinds of women.

Decisions, decisions…

You set down the weight with your magic and release the ethereal tendril with a loud exhale. That was a new personal record for you. It wasn’t much weight, but with the rings on you quickly learned how hard it really was to lift anything without flushing every ounce of energy out of your body.

Morala gave a little clap and fluttered over to you with a towel. “Great work, Anon! You’re really internalizing the lessons, huh?”

“Yeah. Aegoli and Fornue have been a huge help.” you say taking a swig of water.

They had been going well beyond what was expected of them to help you catch up. So was Morala. There was no way that you would be passing world history if it weren’t for her help.

“So are you ready for the presentation later this week?” she asked.

“Yeah. Magnara really helped me organize my notes. It should be a lot easier to answer questions this time.”

The College of Admaz had set up another lecture for you, despite the riot that broke out the last time you gave a presentation. From what you hear the theater had been repaired and the chaos had actually helped spread the news to other cities and citizens. You knew there were some wealthy benefactors who would be in the audience. 

You weren’t worried. It was fun telling the mamono about your world, and it also helped to secure funding for the college. Really the least you could do after they spent a fortune keeping you fed, clothed, sheltered, and alive.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to go through with it if you don’t want to.” said Morala nervously. She clasped her hands and fidgeted.

“It’s okay, I know what I’m getting in to. I trust the college, and I swore that I would do everything I could to help them.” you said.

“The college isn’t all-powerful Anon. Some of those monsters in the audience… if they really want you, they’ll just take you.” she said.

“Well then I guess it’s a good thing that you’re there to stop them, huh?” you said, grinning at her. “I know you worry for me, but I have to believe in Oroba and Nevkya. Crowlyne has also put extra wards and defensive magics in place to make sure that I’m not charmed by a species intrinsic magic.”

Morala pouted and folded her arms.

You sigh. “You worry too much. Half the town is looking out for me, and the mamono in the audience know about my condition. I’ll be safe. I promise.” you said.

Morala did her best to look annoyed, but her frown dissipated under your smile. She rolled her eyes and giggled. “I suppose I know you well enough to know that you’ll go through with it. You don’t like letting kindness go unrequited like that. You’re just lucky I’ll be there to save you.” she said.

“What would I do without you.”

She blushed a bit, fluttering her wings. “Probably fail out of college.” she said trying to avoid eye contact. “Oh! That reminds me.” she said reaching into her pocket. “I made these for you. I heard you liked them.”

She produced a small bag of cookies baked into the shape of hearts. They tasted similar to sugar cookies, but were always iced with some sort of fruit-icing. It was probably your favorite food this side of the portal.

“Yeah, I love these things!” you said popping one into your mouth. Hicera was going to kill you when she found out you passed your daily intake of demonic energy again, but these cookies were worth it. No wonder so many humans in this world fell victim to the monster’s insidiously good cuisine.

The two of you chatted for a while longer as you finished the cookies. They were divine, but by the time you polished off the parcel your stomach was beginning to protest against the high levels of demonic energy in the bake goods.

“Anon, shouldn’t you be going? I think your next class starts soon.” said Morala.

“Probably.” you said. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you bid her farewell and began the hike through back up to your classroom.

~~~~~~

Damn these stairs. If you were going to build a school in the side of a mountain, couldn’t they just make some magical elevators? You weren’t certain, but some of the upper towers didn’t look like they obeyed the laws of physics. One of the other guys in the male dorm told you that it was to make all the men’s butts tighter. To this day you weren’t sure if he was joking or if the mamono really did want to make sure that your thighs could handle a rowdy monster.

At last you arrived at your destination. The mamono gave you a funny look as you entered, and some giggled as you took your seat.

“Anon. What are you doing here?” said Aegoli.

“Uhh, class?” you reply.

“Anon, men are having a separate class today. In the alchemy lab.”

Your face flushed with embarrassment and your classmates snickered. The more matronly amongst them ara ara’d and licked their chops. Now that you think about it, Aegoli did mention something like that last class, but you had been fixated on the fat titties of a succubus in the front row.

“Oh, right.” you mumbled. Quickly collecting your things you hustled off to the lab.

~~~~~

“Anon! There you are! I was beginning to think that you were being brutally molested in a broom closet.” said your kesaran pasaran instructor, professor Ergine.

“No, but thanks for your concern…” you said.

“Well it’s an easy lesson today! We’re making some spirit supplement!” she said flitting to the head of the classroom.

You took a seat at one of the available benches. The kes began to lecture about how the mana was processed and what was lost during the processing. It reminded you of a chemistry class back on earth.

“…and by activating these runes the soul’s “fingerprint” is scrubbed from the spirit energy leaving behind a raw-energy byproduct. Now, we’ll all get a chance to make some today; so pick a stall and come out when you have your sample.” said the tiny woman.

Wait, sample?

The guys pulled out small vials from the drawers around them and filed into what looked like bathroom stalls. 

“Is something wrong, Anon?” asked Ergine.

“Well, the samples are derived from spirit energy, so… isn’t that semen?” you asked.

“Yep!”

Okay. So that’s how it’s gonna be huh?

“Do I have to do this?” you asked.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded.

You eyed the vial. Well, best to just get it over with. It wasn’t really that different than normal, really. Hicera collected “samples” from you almost every day. And living in the demon realm had given you a permanent erection. With a sigh you slipped into one of the vacant stalls and did your business.

Reemerging, you glance at your classmates for a hint on what to do next. They were all queuing up in front of a golem who you hadn’t noticed in the corner of the room. It looked like the vial approach was optional, as the stone woman was currently jack-hammering the hips of a scrawny man. He moaned underneath her and went limp. With a wet sucking sound, the emotionless figure pulled herself off of him and pushed him to the side. The first person in the line handed her his vial which she quickly slotted into her snatch. There was a little whoosh as it was presumably taken up into her, and she held out her hand for the next vial. 

Slowly you made your way to the front. By the time you arrived, the golem seemed a bit more… animated than the beginning of class. She was blushing slightly, with a few errant beads of sweat rolling down her curves. Her breathing was labored, and she had just a hint of a satisfied grin on her face. Your attention snapped back to her as she gestured for you to hand her the vial. You forked over the container full of your hard work, and returned to your seat.

The other men in the class were talking excitedly in their friend groups. None of them included you. Most of the men in this world were either too sheltered or too pretentious for you.

“Who are YOU going to give it to?”

“I was thinking… Vala!”

“Ooh! I knew it! You’re such a good match for her. You two would be sooo cute together.”

“What about you?”

“I’m giving mine to Calabarii.”

“I see~ Sounds like all that “studying” you’re doing with her is paying off.”

Ew. Why the hell did they have to talk like that?

“What about YOU, Anon?”

You looked up from the homework you were scribbling on. The group of guys at the end of your bench were looking at you intently.

“What about me?" you ask.

“Who are you going to give your spirit supplement too…?” asked one as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, I don’t know. I thought the professor would just collect them at the end.” you said.

“No! You get the supplement, and give it to someone special.”

“Oh.”

“So, who is it? What’s she like? I know you can’t hug anyone or something, but have you at least talked about what you’ll do to each other?” 

“What? No. I don’t have anyone like that.” you said. Not only did you not have a suitor in mind, but you were also highly advised to respond to questions like that.

“No one? Seriously?” said one of them. “Give us SOMETHING here, Anon.”

“I’ll think about it, okay? I don’t have anyone in mind, that’s all.” you said and went back to your work.

Just then, there was a little ding from the golem, and she beckoned one of the students over. She reached down to her crotch and produced a small packet for the student. This process repeated itself in the order of which the semen was collected. But when it came time for your sample, the golem gestured you aside and pointed to the next person in line. Feeling a bit worried, you step off the side as the rest of the class receives their sample. The other students murmured and whispered behind you. You knew they were talking about you.

Oh well, if it failed it wasn’t any skin off your back. It was just a pack of powder. Maybe something about your biology make you incompatible to make something like this, or maybe the golem needed a different treatment for your sample.

The last person collected their powder and returned to their seat.

You began to walk back too, feeling slightly embarrassed without knowing why.

“Don’t worry, Anon! She just isn’t finished yet!” said Ergine.

You turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“She’s still processing your sample, silly. I suspected that an alien’s sperm may take a bit longer.” she said.

You looked back at the golem. She was staring at you with her unblinking golden eyes. You couldn’t hear it before, but now that the chatter in the room had died down you could hear a low hum coming from the stone woman.

“Maybe I should just come back later…” you offered. Anything to get away from the front of the room and the stares of your classmates.  
“How much longer, Breville?” asked Ergine.

The golem, Breville apparently, stared up at the fairy without making any gesture or noise. For a few seconds, the hum emanating from within her was the only sound in the classroom.

“She says it’s almost done!” said Ergine excitedly.

Right…

It took a few more minutes, but Breville let out a long sigh and another ding. She motioned you forwards, and with a trembling hand gave you your pouch of spirit supplement. She looked exhausted.

“Thanks.” you said, unsure of how to express gratitude to someone/thing that just had your cum processed inside them.

She nodded and closed her eyes. A soft snore rumbled out of her.

“See, Anon? I told you it would work!” said Ergine.

You hefted the bag in your hand. It was probably about a quarter of a pound. You place it into your pocket and start to pack up. The other students began to leave after the suspense of your supplement ended. Slinging your pack over your shoulder you hurry after them.

“Anon!”

You turned to see who was calling you. It was a succubus in your world history class, who’s name you couldn’t remember at the moment. She was standing just outside the door with a pack, (you really need to come up with a name for a group of succs), of succubi. They were giggling and whispering amongst themselves, sometimes nudging her forwards and prodding her with their tails.

“Umm… y-you made spirit supplement today, right?” she said with a heavy blush on her face.

“Yeah.” you replied.

“W-well, I happened to make some pastries…” she said. Her voice tapered off to a whisper. Her cohorts whispered and hissed at her to just do it, whatever that meant. You got ready to run.

“Want to trade?!” she blurted out.

“No!”

You and the succ squad turned to see none other than Magnara running over to you.

“Don’t give it to her Anon. I’ll be taking that supplement.” she said holding out her hand.

You look back and forth between the succubus and the older succubus. Reaching into your bag, you pull out the spirit supplement and hand it to Magnara. She quickly pockets it and casts some sort of spell over the pocket. The succ student looked crushed.

“A-Anon… why…” she whimpered as she began to cry.

“Sorry, but I trust Magnara. Honestly, I don’t know exactly how important that stuff was, and it’s nice to just get rid of it.” you said.

“You’re welcome, by the way.” said Magnara to the girl. “You would have been torn apart for this if I hadn’t confiscated it.”

Looking around, you noticed that every monster in the hall was forming a sort of semicircle around the confrontation. Some had packages, others had papers, one had what looked like coins, and an arch imp in the corner had a large branch.

“Honestly, what were they thinking, letting you make this? There’s no way that it would have ended well.” she began to walk away. “Oh! I’ll see you at the presentation Anon, make sure you have your notes in order.”

She gave you a wave as she walked away through the crowd of envious monsters.

~~~~~

Strange, Morala wasn’t in the front row. You scanned the sea of crowded seats while you began your seminar.

“Alright everyone, this lecture will be the same as before, feel free to ask questions about my world and I’ll do my best to answer them. Questions about my body, preference in women, and particularly invasive questions are still banned. Let’s start with you.” you said pointing to an eager kikimora in the middle of the audience.

“What were the homes like on Earth?” she asked.

“They varied greatly. Some people had grand mansions, others only had a single room. I imagine it’s similar to this world, but the poverty was worse on Earth. Next, we’ll take… you.” you said pointing to a werewolf.

“What was the meat like?” she said wagging her tail.

“Well, I preferred a nice barbecue. Barbecue is a cooking process…”

You quickly went through the finer points of preparing meat to the monster crowd. The more carnivorous women looked particularly interested.

“… and that’s why you shouldn’t use to much vinegar in your sauce. Moving on, you, in the front.” you gestured towards an ogre.  
“I’ve been speaking to some of the other girls, and we’re all a bit confused about something. You claim that in your world, it was MEN who were the instigators of rape.” she said.

“Yes, more often than not it was men who were the perpetrators. Women still committed sex crimes, but it was much less common. Society also tended to have trouble believing that a man was raped.”

“So men did most of the raping.”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“How did the men rape the women? Did they have a strict fertility cycle or something?” she said rubbing her chin.

“No! They just didn’t consent!” you exclaimed.

“They didn’t want free dick?” she said.

“No!”

The ogre frowned and some of the other 'rapey' mamono looked just as confused. Some succubi near them groaned and rolled their eyes.

“That doesn’t make any sense. That’s free semen. I know you said that there’s only lightning magic in all your contraptions, but even without the spirit energy it’s a chance to be pregnant.”

“Exactly!” chimed an arachne. “The male body spends plenty of resources making that semen. Women are the one’s capable of rape because they TAKE that investment and use it to create a child. What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense.”

“They don’t want to be pregnant!” you shouted.

The room grew eerily quiet.

“Well that’s just ridiculous.” scoffed the spider woman.

“They were probably just doin' what those turtle girls form that one place do. Ya know, pretend they DON’T want it.” said the Ogre.

You looked to Magnara for backup. She had her face buried in her palms and her tail was wrapped all the way around the leg of her chair.

“Okay, look. Think of it like this. A man doesn’t want to have sex.” you said.

They nodded.

“And a woman forces herself onto him WITHOUT his approval or desire.”

They nodded.

“Now just swap the genders.”

“But it doesn’t work if you swap the genders.”

Your sigh of contempt is amplified throughout the auditorium. Wheeling over the chalkboard, you settle in for a long, hard lecture.

~~~~~

At last, the allotted time came to a close. The audience gave a round of applause and filed out of the theater. Bidding Magnara goodbye, you return to your dorm.

Lighting the candles on your desk, you open your pack and began to work through your homework as best you could.

Only a few minutes pass before someone began pounding on your door. The force was enough to make you jump in surprise.

“Anon?”

It was Morala.

“Anon, can you open up?” she said. The door knob rattled and shook. She began to pound the door even harder.

You jumped out of your seat and threw open the door. 

She barreled into the room, knocking both of you to the ground. Before you could say anything, she seized your shoulders and dug her hands into your skin. She was out of breath and her hair was freed from its normal braid.

“Did you give your spirit supplement to someone else?” she demanded.

The hair on the back of your neck stood up. This was the first time you had seen her angry at you. For reasons you can’t explain it was deeply unsettling at you. Even though you didn’t do anything wrong you felt guilty.

“Yes! Holy shit Morala, get off of me!” you said. 

You tried to force her off, but she gripped you tighter. Adjusting her hands so that she held you under your arms, she lifted you off the ground and pinned you against the wall. Your head bounced painfully against the wood.

“You did WHAT?!” she hissed through clenched teeth. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was flushed with anger. Was this even Morala?

“Mora, please… You’re scaring me.” you said softly.

The fear in your voice jolted her back to reality. She released your shirt, letting you fall to the floor. Turning her back to you, she strode over to the window. You adjusted your clothing and scrambled up. How the fuck was a doughy fairy princess that strong?

You stood there for a few seconds. Morala remained motionless at the sill.

“Magnara demanded it. I would have been attacked if I didn’t fork it over.” you said.

She whipped around. “Then you should have given it to me! I work day and night to keep you safe and happy, and you give the ONE THING that I would have wanted away to some slut!” she said.

“It’s just fucking powder! I thought mamono hated eating that stuff!”

“Well we still have to eat it! It’s the gesture that counts, Anon. I can’t believe that you let HER take it. What have I said? What have I promised you since I started caring for you? I’ll keep you safe. But it’s so HARD-“ she slammed her hand down on the window sill. “-To do that when you do NOTHING to reciprocate my hospitality.”

The two of you stared at each other for a moment.

“Morala, please… I didn’t do it to hurt you. I know it’s usually given as a sign of affection, but there wasn’t any special meaning when I gave it to her. I’m not claiming a wife or anything; and I won’t for a while. But if it really does mean that much to you, I’ll ask them if I can make another batch.” you said trying to diffuse the situation.

For a second she looked even angrier. Taking a step towards you, she raised a hand to point at you, but stopped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Thank you, Anon. I would appreciate that.” she said with a little smile. Her words were sweet, but her eyes were still smoldering. You swallowed hard.

“I should get going. I just remembered that I have some work that I need to do. Let me know when you have more spirit supplement; I’ll be waiting for it. Goodnight, Anon.” she said. With that, she walked out the door and closed it shut without so much as a glance at you. 

You listen to her footsteps fade down the hall, and re-seat yourself at your desk. Oroba should probably know about this, you’ll tell her tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~  
Earlier that evening…  
~~~~~~~

“So, exactly how strong is this?” asked Oroba, prodding the pouch of Anon’s spirit supplement.

“I can’t tell. There’s something weird going on with the instruments I use normally.” said Ergine.

“It’s potent alright, I can tell. But the puffball is right, the energy signature of it is all over the place. Are you sure that it isn’t contaminated?” asked High Magus Crowlyne.

“Yes, as long as we trust that Magnara did not tamper with it. It took poor Breville everything she had to make it.” said Ergine.

“And you were fools for letting him make it in the first place.” said Hicera. “We don’t even know if the supplement is safe for any of us to have. Anon may appear to be a human, but we still have no idea what the repercussions of using this could be.”

“So we’ll test it.” said Crowlyne.

“That wasn’t the point I was trying to make.” said Hicera.

“Crowlyne is right, Hicera. How can you not be excited?” asked Ergine.

“They have a point, Head Physician. If this is dangerous to us, then it’s better we find out now and work out a solution than for Anon to discover he’s poisoned his wife.” said Oroba.

Hicera squirmed a bit and sighed. “…What do you propose?”

“I’ve got a list of students who should be strong enough to resist any undesirable side effects. The most promising is an arch-succubus named Buera. She’s routinely proven herself to be a dedicated student and a powerful mage.” said Oroba. 

“I have no objections. Her ability is certainly worthy of praise.” said Crowlyne.

“Very good. Then we’ll preform the test tomorrow. I’d like to dispose of this as soon as possible.” said Oroba poking the pouch. “No good can come of having it just sit around. Do you have any objections, Head Physician?”

“No, Oroba.” said Hicera.

“Excellent. We’ll do this early in the morning. I don’t want any rumors to spread.”

~~~~~

The next day, Hicera, Oroba, Crowlyne and Buera gathered in a small, rarely used training field on the college grounds.

“So nice to see you, Buera.” said Oroba.

“You as well, President. I’m honored that you chose me to conduct this experiment.” beamed Buera.

“Of course! You were the natural choice. Your outstanding academic and practical performances make you a wonderful candidate. And you’re single! We can’t use a mamono with a husband after all.” said Oroba.

Buera’s eyes glazed over. A small quivering smile raised her cheeks just a bit. “Ah. Of course. I am single, haha. Yep. That’s me, Buera. The arch-succubus who can’t find a husband. Haha.”

The others looked at each other in discomfort as the poor succubus’ suffered her existential torture.

“Err… that aside, we just want you to take a bit of Anon’s spirit supplement and use it to cast some spells. We must warn you though, Anon is an alien. The effects of this supplement may be dangerous. It could even be poison for all we know.” said Oroba sternly.

“Then it’s a good thing that I don’t have a husband who will miss me if I die.” said Buera with a tearful smile.

Hicera rubbed her back as she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. Poor girl. After a minute of consolation, Buera did a little shimmy and exhaled sharply.

“I’m alright. I just have to remember that there’s someone out there for me. If I keep working hard, I’ll meet him one day. May I have the supplement now?” she asked.

“Sure…” said Oroba handing the pouch to her.

“Make sure that you only take a pinch! We have to know if it’s safe before you take any more.” said Hicera.

Buera took a pinch between her fingers. “The texture feels a bit funny.” She sprinkled the sample into her mouth. With a grimace, she swallowed the powder and licked her fingers clean.

“Well?” asked Crowlyne.

“It still tastes horrible. Other than that, I just feel the kick from the mana. I don’t think that anything is wrong with it.” said Buera as she conjured a flame over her hand.

“Alright, well go ahead and take a bit more.” said Hicera recording the results.

Buera scooped out a bit more supplement and shoveled it into her mouth. With a swig of water from her water-skin, she choked it down. After a few more mouthfuls, she had exhausted the powder.

“How do you feel?” asked Hicera nervously.

“Umm… kind of strange actually.” said Buera.

“How so?” said Hicera quickly.

“Tingley, I guess. Like my fingers fell asleep.”

“You’ll be alright. Preforming the tests will get rid of the mana. You’ll be back to normal in no time.” said Crowlyne.

“Y-yeah. I know. I’ll just… Wow. It’s getting kind of hot huh?” said Buera. Her face was growing red and a few beads of sweat rolled down her body.

“Oh dear.” Mumbled Oroba. “Buera, dear, just use the mana. Get it out of your body.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” said Buera. She hurriedly walked over to one of the targets that had been set up.

“Alright, now just try a simple mana-shot spell.” said Crowlyne.

“Got it. I- OOUHHO~”

Buera’s knees buckled and a trail of liquid ran down her thigh.

“It feels GOOOOD~” she moaned. The light around her hands flared and sputtered.

“Buera! Discharge that mana now!” shouted Oroba.

Buera’s trembling arms shot a bolt of energy at the target. The straw dummy was instantly disintegrated, as was a large portion of the wall behind it. Dozens of other smaller bolts of energy shot in every direction. Oroba, Hicera, and Crowlyne ducked as the barrage tore bricks and bits of stonework off the buildings. A plume of dust emanated from where Buera had been standing.

“Buera!” shrieked Hicera.

Crowlyne summoned a gust of wind to clear the courtyard. Buera was laying at the epicenter of the blast, in an apparent state of euphoria. She was laying on her back, with a trail of drool running down her cheek. The ground around her crotch was thoroughly soaked as well.

The trio of observers hurried over to her.

“Buera! Can you hear us?! Are you alright?!” asked Hicera.

“What a rush…” mumbled Buera. Her eyes failed to focus on any of the monsters standing over her.

“Well, we know it works.” said Crowlyne.

Hicera glared at her as she used her magic to lift the dazed girl off the ground and began to carry her away to the infirmary.

~~~~~

You were copying down the intricacies in a magical circle when you heard the blast. The class froze as the noise reverberated around the room. The more timid monsters got up from their seats and shuffled away from the window, while the more aggressive ones began to jostle for shoulder space at the windows. 

You peaked above a some shorter mamono to see a column of smoke and dust rising from a part of campus you had never been to.

“Please return to your seats. That’s nothing to be alarmed about.” said Aegoli.

“Are you sure?” you asked.

“Yes, the faculty were informed that such an event may be occurring today.” she said.

Oh. Well, alright then. You return to your seat. Explosions must be more common than you thought.

Oh well, the important thing was to remember to go visit Oroba after class. You had long suspected Morala of having an innocent crush on you, but her behavior last night was absolutely out of line. The whole point of having a titania be the one to help you adjust to monster society was that she WOULDN’T try and molest you.

Hopefully you could still salvage what remained of your relationship.

As soon as Aegoli released you, you hurried off to Oroba’s office.

~~~~~~

You were about halfway there when you felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise. You shuddered and gripped the railing harder as you turned around on the staircase. There wasn’t anyone there. Far below you, you could see a few mamono scattered throughout the many floors below you. Resuming your climb, you hurry to the next floor.

The mounting feeling of dread did not abate. Ducking out to the grand staircase, you quickly hurry down the hall and round the first corner. With your back flat against the wall you take a deep breath. What was this sensation?

Taking a peak around the corner, you try to discern the source of the mysterious aura. The corridor is abandoned. You keep waiting, watching.

After a few seconds, Morala appears at the landing. Without breaking her stride she began down the hallway towards you. You whip back around the corner. Why was she here?! Why were you so nervous?! Sure you had been avoiding her since last night, but that was completely understandable given how she was acting. You were going to confront her about it, but you really needed someone to mediate that conversation.

“Hello, Anon.”

Your eyes bugged out of your skull as Morala addresses you from just around the corner. You hadn’t realized it, but you had been holding your breath since you saw her.

“H-hey Morala. What are you doing here?” you stutter as you try to nonchalantly peel yourself off the wall. She didn’t look pleased.

“What are you doing here?” she said cheerily. She was smiling, but her eyes were cold.

“Oh! You know, I just uh, had something I needed to talk to Oroba about.”

“This isn’t the way to the President’s office.” she said crossing her arms.

“I was just going to the bathroom.” you bluff.

Morala stared back at you. You did your best to meet her eyes, but her gaze was too harsh. Breaking eye contact you look to one of the paintings lining the hallway.

“Anon, if you have a problem, you can talk to me about it.” said Morala.

“I know! I know. I just don’t want to bother you that’s all. I know how busy you are. Haha.”

“Well I’m not busy. So tell me, what’s your problem?”

You gulped. “I-I, uh…” you wracked your brain for an excuse. “I… needed access to the alchemy laboratory to make more supplement!” you blurted.

“That’s nothing to bother Oroba with. Ergine is the one that you need to be talking to silly!” she giggled.

“It wasn’t just that, I needed to talk to her about something else too!” you said.

Morala’s smile didn’t fade, but her eyes narrowed. “And what would that be?”

“It’s something personal.” you offered weakly.

“Anon.” she took a step closer to you. “No one knows you better than I do. If you’re having a personal problem, wouldn’t it make sense to get help from someone who knows you personally?”

You took step back out of instinct as she advanced towards you.

Her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. “So, what’s this problem?”

You tried to think of something to say, but only ended up opening and closing your mouth like a fish on a ship deck. “I forgot. I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal after all.” you said hoarsely.

Morala smiled a bit wider. “That’s nice to hear Anon. Isn’t it nice when things get resolved this way? Just us helping each other out. We support each other so well, you know? So, how about you don’t go to Oroba anymore; just let me handle it alright?” she said. Her tone was more condescending than optimistic.

“I still think that I sh-“

You balked as you caught her eyes.

“I said I could handle it Anon. You DO trust me, don’t you? After all I’ve done for you? Isn’t it the least you could do to trust me? I care about you so much after all.”

She took another step towards you.

“Yeah! Yeah of course I do, Mora! No problem. I’ll uh, just come to you if I need anything, haha…” you said. Anything to get her away from you.

She clapped her hands and did a little flitter. “I’m glad to hear! I really do mean it too; I swore I’ll always be there for you, and I intend to make good on that promise.”

She turned and began to do her little hop-flutter walk down the hall.

“Oh, and Anon?”

“Yes?”

“If I find out you talked to Oroba, I’ll be mad.” she said. She turned her head back to look at you. “And I WILL find out.”

With that last thinly veiled threat, she began down the stairs, leaving you petrified in the middle of the hall.

~~~~~~

With a sigh, Morala opened the door to the deserted class room. The space had become unrecognizable since she had begun to work in here. The desks had been clumped together into impromptu tables and shelves for her growing collection of magical books. The counter under the window was now home to a small laboratory’s worth of alchemical ingredients. A cauldron gently simmered in the corner over a magical heating element.

Careful not to tread on any of the teletomancy chalk markings of the floor, she made her way up to the teacher’s podium and pulled out a small snack from her stash. As she nibbled on the bread roll, Morala opened her newest book on the podium.

“Mistress!”

Her pixie tutor flew through the cracked window with a gleeful call.

“There you are Hyluciele! I was wondering where you had flown off to. We need to talk.” said Morala. “I’ve been trying to be more assertive, but I don’t think Anon likes it as much as you think he does. He has been obedient until now, but I suspect that my outburst over the supplement scared him. I caught him trying to visit Oroba today, and I know he didn’t have that in his schedule.”

Morala flew to the only desk with a seat and produced a small journal from within her robes. The pages were filled with all the notes she had taken on Anon, as well as other important information and potential child names.

“He was so scared, Hyluciele. I just wanted to hug him. I don’t think this tactic is working at all. I can try to play it off as stress again but I know that he doesn’t trust me anymore. The fairies are getting harder and harder to control too. I’ve had to personally silence some of them. They’ve been useful thus far in procuring what I need and monitoring Anon when I’m busy, but there’s a schism forming among them.”

She sighed and closed the book. Burying her face in her hands she let out a long groan.

“I can’t do this anymore. Anon means everything to me, but I just CAN’T see that look of terror on his face anymore. That’s exactly what I want to protect him from! I miss my friends, I miss having an Anon that isn’t afraid of me, and I miss being able to do the things I love.”

“So, you want to stop?” asked the pixie.

“Yes I want to stop! At first you gave me good advice, but lately I’ve been nothing but a bully! Tomorrow I’m going to apologize to Anon and the fairies and forget this ever happened.” said Morala firmly.

Hyluciele inspected a jar of dried leaves next to a potion rack. “I see. I suppose how you could see what you’ve been doing as bullying. How it could be frightening to some. But I don’t think of it like that at all. I think it’s dedication.”

“Dedication?” asked Morala.

“Yes mistress! You have done so much already for Anon’s sake. If your friends will not help you find love, are they really your friends at all? And does Anon REALLY know what’s best for him? Obviously not, because you say he thinks of you as overbearing all of a sudden! If he truly knew of your passion for him, he would never leave your arms. I think it’s inspirational that you’re making so many sacrificed for the sake of the one you love.”

Morala perked up. She smiled a little as she stared into space. Then she frowned, and shook her head. “I-I still don’t think that it’s right…”

Hyluciele flitted onto the desk where Morala sat. “Very well, mistress. I will not force you to do anything that you do not wish to do. I only wanted you and Anon to discover the love that connects you.”

“And I am grateful. But this is a path I can no longer follow.” said Morala. She unseated herself and began to move towards the door.

“Oh, but mistress…” called Hyluciele.

Morala paused.

“…Do you really think that Anon will forget?”

Morala flinched. “Of course he will. He’s a good person; that’s one of the reasons I care about him so much. If I’m honest and forwards with him, he’ll forgive me.”

“I am sure he would, mistress. But will he FORGET. I do not think he will.” said Hyluciele. She flew just behind Morala as she spoke.   
“I say this out of concern. I fear that every gaze he directs at you will be tinged with fear. That he will always think on your actions and wonder if the monster he saw is only hiding. Always cautious that you may be setting a trap for him.”

Morala clenched her fists. “You’re wrong.”

“Perhaps. One more question mistress…”

“No! No more questions!” shouted Morala swiveling to face the pixie.

“What makes you so sure that you can be the first to claim him?!” cackled the tiny woman. 

A tendril of magic shot out of Morala’s hand and seized the pixie. “ENOUGH! ENOUGH LIES!” she screamed.

Hyluciele coughed under the pressure of the mana surrounding her. “Surely you heard mistress!” she choked out.

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear what you have to say!” shouted Morala. But her grip loosened none the less. 

“They gave his spirit energy away! To an arch-succubus no less!”

Morala’s eyes went wide. “The blast…” she murmured.

Hyluciele took advantage of her shock to wriggle free from her restraints. “Precisely mistress! I’m sure that your innocent fairy friends relayed you information about the event, but I know the full story. President Oroba has taken a special interest in pairing Anon with an especially high-level monster to see what kind of progeny the union will yield.”

“She wouldn’t! Anon would die, he’s still too vulnerable to mamono energy!” said Morala desperately.

“But he won’t be forever! He’s adapting rather quickly from what I hear. Buera informed the President of her adoration towards Anon. Oroba has agreed to help her, and gave her special permission to taste some of Anon’s spirit energy.”

“No…” pleaded Morala. Her knees gave out and she collapsed into a sitting position on the floor.

“Yes, mistress! It’s true! An arch-succubus has a taste for the one you love. Can you really hope to stand against her?” said Hyluciele flying down to her eye level.

“Anon knows me! He knows I care about him! He-“

“He’s afraid of you! If you turn back now, you’ll drive him right into her arms!” interrupted Hyluciele.

Tears rolled down Morala’s face. “No… I-I can’t… How…”

“There is still a way mistress! It is not hopeless yet! We can save Anon from Buera, but you must be brave! If you do not act now, if you do not finish what we have begun, then your indecision will see that you NEVER are one with Anon.” warned Hyluciele.

Morala broke down in tears. Hyluciele watched the titania sob into her hands. After a few minutes, she grew quiet. She lay on the ground for a few more moments before standing up and wiping her face.

Her red eyes were brimming with determination.

“I’ll do it.” she sniffled. “For his sake, I’ll do it.”


	22. Chapter 22

For the first time in a long time, you were scared. Morala had ascended the yan-ladder much faster than you had expected. You were a fool for thinking that she would get better in time. Now her innocent attraction had blossomed and rotted into a jealous obsession. Her threats were absolutely genuine. She was a bit naïve, but she certainly wasn’t stupid, and she defiantly wasn’t inept with magic. You had no doubt that she could make good on her implied threats to silence you. After all, if you told Oroba or anyone else what was happening, they would separate you two then and there. 

Deep down you had harbored a desperate hope that she would calm down and see reason after she had confronted you in the hall. Misguided to say the least. She had gotten much worse. Clearly the fairies were involved whatever scheme she had chosen to involve you in too. Now when you sat at your usual table, (you didn’t dare sit anywhere else with Morala watching you), half of the tiny women would giggle and make insinuations about your relationship with their princess. The others, whom you had gotten along well with in the past, would flee to the opposite side of the table to escape you. The looks of fear on their faces broke your heart.

“Anon.”

Your eyes snapped back to your food at Morala’s accusatory tone. That was the worst part of it all. If you so much as looked at another woman, she quickly corrected it. Her words were enough, but you swear she nudged your head with magic if you didn’t react fast enough.

What baffled you most was that Morala seemed almost as unhappy about your current dynamic as you. In public she was doting and kind, but when you were alone, she became surly and short tempered. The only thing that calmed her down was you sitting with her while she went about her work.

“Don’t forget that I’m still waiting on that supplement. I’m sure it will be useful for the practical exam I have coming up.” said Morala.

“I haven’t forgot. I’ll get some as soon as possible.” you assured her.

“Thanks, Anon. I really appreciate you looking out for me.” she said with a smile.

“Of course. I’m going in later today. I should have it by dinner.”

The supplement was your top priority. If you had known how far gone Morala really was, you would have never forked over the bag in the first place. The lab, and more specifically Breville and the other golems were constantly occupied by samples and backlog. You supposed the college could just whip some more up, but you supposed that creating something capable of poaching your man was a poor choice in the eyes of mamono. And the whole ‘playing God’ aspect of creating a sentient being but mamono didn’t seem like the kind to get hung up on morality when there was sexual deviance to be done.

Her wings fluttered a bit and for a moment, you saw the beautiful girl who befriended you in her soft features and caring face. There must be a way to save that; the core of who Morala really was. The reason you were so unprepared for this turn of events was because you trusted her so much. She seemed so incorruptible. That’s magic though. Who knows, there may be some weird interaction between you and mamono that makes them go crazy over time. 

That doesn’t matter right now though. Right now, you just need to humor her so that she doesn’t do anything too rash. You would get the supplement, calm her down, and then go have a chat with Oroba or Magnara about her behavior. They would have a talk with her, she would cry, you would all make amends and be friends again. Easy. 

Thinking back, you had overreacted when she had confronted you. Sure, she was defiantly losing it, there was no doubt about that. What you also knew is that if push came to shove there was ZERO chance of Morala doing anything to harm you. The way you saw it, the second you stepped past her she would break down and start crying. What worried you most was collateral. If she decided to toss one of the other students again, things would get ugly real quick.

You glanced up at her from your notes. She was staring at the book in front of her, but she wasn’t reading. Her half-lidded eyes were motionless.

“…Mora?” you asked hesitantly.

“Hmm?” Morala lurched as she snapped her head towards you.

“Are you alright? I think you need more sleep…” you suggested.

She let out a little whine as she stretched her arms and arched her back. “I’m alright Anon. Don’t worry, I’m almost done with the project I’ve been working on. I’ll sleep much better after it’s finished. But I’m certain that some spirit supplement would help wake me up~”

Her tone was playful, but you knew that her demand wasn’t a suggestion. Coincidentally, it was about time for you to head to the lab anyways. Pushing your things into your bag, you sling the satchel over your shoulder. 

“Well just don’t take it tonight. You need to sleep. Take some in the morning.” You said.  
“That sounds lovely! I’ll have it with the tea.” she said.  
You waved goodbye and said hello to Ixade as you left.

~~~~~~~

A clump of faries flew out from atop a bookshelf giggling and fluttering around their princess. 

“You two are perfect for each other!”

“It feels like you’re married already.”

“When are you gonna do anything to him mistress? Have you kissed him yet?”

Morala hushed the hoard of miniature women. “Now now, you know that Anon is still to weak for anything to happen between us. What is important at this moment is fostering the bond we share and ensuring that he has all the support and love he needs to become an upstanding and accomplished member of our society.”

The fairies cheered.

“So kind mistress!”

“No wonder he loves you so much!”

“How many kids are you gonna have?”

Morala swept her hand over the fairies to silence them as Ixade scowled at them from a high bookshelf.  
“Not so loud.” said Morala sternly. “Though Anon and I do love each other very much, our love is forbidden until he grows stronger.”

“Sorry mistress…” said one of the fairies turning her gaze to the book she was standing on.

Morala grinned. “Do not worry little one, I know that those of you who are still loyal to me only wish to see me happy. It makes me so proud to see all of you so eager to help a friend in need.”

“Anything for you mistress!”

“Wonderful! Now, go. You know what to do. Do not let him stray from your sight.” commanded Morala.

A few fairies took flight, and zipped down the hall after Anon.

~~~~~

You knocked lightly on the door to the laboratory.

“Come in!”

You pushed the door open to find Ergine hovering over an elaborate system of glass and boilers. She shoved a beaker that was taller than her under a spigot and turned a valve. A slow drip of viscous purple liquid began to flow into the container. Wiping her hands off in her fluff, she flew over to the bench you had laid your things on.

“So Anon, what did you need the lab for? Interested in practicing alchemy?” she asked. 

“Uhh… no. I need to make more spirit supplement.” you said.

“Oh geez! That’s no good! I guess they haven’t got around to telling you yet.” said Ergine.

“Huh?”

“We gave a sample of your supplement to a succubus, and she lost control of her magic. She was no slouch either. One of the best students we have! Until we can find out exactly what caused the reaction, we can’t have you making any more spirit powder unless we ask for it.”

You gulped. “What?”

“Sorry, Anon. I guess it must be a shock to be the cause of danger for once, huh?” 

Your mind raced with the implications of this turn of events. What were you going to do? Tell Morala that you weren’t allowed to make anymore? No, she’d probably drag you into the lab and milk you by hand if she had to. Sneaking in to make more was out of the question. The guards kept a close eye on you, and it was too dangerous to walk the halls unaccompanied. What were you going to do?

“Don’t worry, I think I know why you want to make more spirit supplement in the first place. I can’t help you much, but I do have some nice potions that will help the mood~” said Ergine with a wink.

Of course! You remember reading about some of the plants in the demon realms. There was at least one that calmed monsters down. You remembered that much. It was hard to say; you hadn’t been able to experience much mamono cuisine. Just the other day you had bedridden yourself by eating too many cookies with some sort of demonic product in the icing. A whole day vomiting demon juice and getting yelled at by Hicera. You really need more self-control…

“Actually, that may be able to help me out. I have a friend who’s really stressed out right now. What do you have that can help?” you asked eagerly. 

The kesaran giggled. “Making people feel good is what I do best! Now tell me, what kind of stress is she under?” said Ergine.  
“I don’t know exactly… She’s been more hostile and short-tempered lately. There’s just a distance between us that’s only getting wider.”

Ergine nodded and gave grunted out an affirmation. “What do you think is bothering her? Is it more work related, or is it something in your relationship?”

Both, you thought. 

“Her work.” you lied. “Whatever she’s working on, she just can’t seem to forget it even when she should be relaxing.”

Ergine was quiet for a minute, then flew over to a strange contraption comprised of a funnel, some sort of grinder, and a set of claws underneath. She opened the cupboard above it with some effort and dragged two jars filled with dried plants.

“Anon, could you crank this please?” she asked as she lifted a few leaves out of each container.

You walked over to the crank as Ergine dipped a thin stick in a jar of some sort of some sort of goo. She slid the rod into the claws and instructed you to begin.

As you turned the crank, the plants were ground into a fine powder that fell onto the stick. The claws slowly turned in conjunction with the grinder, evenly coating the rod in a thick layer of herbs. You could smell the strange and pleasant scents wafting from the machine as it broke down the herbs.

“Three-parts stoic love and one-part melty love. This should help her unwind and help you two over come any spat you’re having.” said Ergine pulling the rod of incense out of the holders. 

“Thank you, professor.” you said gently taking the wrapped stick. “Do I just burn this around her?”

“Yep. Just make sure that the space isn’t too confined. If the fumes get to concentrated things could get… well…”

“I get the idea.” you assure her. You’ll have to be careful about using this. Hopefully this was more of a catnip kind of thing rather than a “I am refreshed and now have the energy to molest someone” kind of relaxed.

Thanking her one last time, you set out to find your obsessive guardian.

~~~~~~

You dragged your feet on the way to the dining hall trying to figure out the best way to break the news to Morala. Wading through the crowd of mamono and the occasional male student, you wound your way to the fairy table. Morala watched you through the crowd as you approached.

“Hello, Anon.” she said cheerfully setting down her glass of wine.

“Hey Morala…” you said.

She cocked her head to the side. “What’s wrong Anon? Is something bothering you?”

You mean besides the way you’re acting? No.

“I, uh… I’m not allowed to make more spirit supplement…” your voice trailed off as you finished your report.

“What!”

The fairies on the table froze as Morala raised her voice in shock. Some hid behind the larger food items and one had attempted to play dead. Their tiny flitted between you and their princess.

“Mora, please, calm down.” you hissed. The mamono around you began to murmur and stare.

You took your seat and Morala immediately yanked it closer to her with her magic. It was a subtle movement, no more than you would be capable of producing with just your legs.

“What happened.” she asked firmly.

“Well, it turns out that my supplement is the equivalent of {cocaine} or something, so I’m not allowed to distribute anymore until the college can confirm that it’s safe.” you explain. 

She gritted her teeth and clenched her silverware. “Who told you. Was it just Ergine? Or was it from Oroba?”

“I don’t know!” you insisted as she leaned towards you.

She huffed and took a long draw of her wine. She set her glass down and swore silently. You and the other fairies were too afraid to eat anything. Your stomach broke the tension by loudly protesting the lack of sustenance being provided to it. 

Morala’s ears perked up. She looked at you with concern. “Anon, if you’re hungry, you should eat. You need to keep your strength up.”

You nodded in agreement and started to load up a plate with some of the dishes that were labeled as “safe for Anon to eat” by the succulent succubus chef.

You ate in silence while the other fairies resumed their conversations in hushed tones. Morala pouted and traced the rim of her glass with her finger. Seeing her like this did make you feel bad for her. It was hard to stay mad at such a cute woman, even if she was heading down the rapist road. After all, the only reason she was going this far to keep you from other monsters was her love for you.

The thought made you realize: Morala had never told you her feelings. In all the time you had been with her, all the times she had helped you, not once had her affection been verbally stated. It was obvious, but you couldn’t help but wonder if diving headfirst into love like this was normal for all monsters.

Well, obviously not SOME. But even an ogre would tell you she loved you after the deed, right? Was Morala just too preoccupied with her schooling? It could be innocence of all things. Titanias were not quick to recognize lewdness. Her inability to move past this platonic puppy-love may be fear or ignorance of what comes next. With any luck you would be avoiding all of that. Morala was great, but she just wasn’t your type. 

You finished your meal and wiped your face. Time to put this incense to the test.

“Hey, Morala, I’m heading back to my room.”

“Oh! Alright. I’ll walk you back.” she said pushing herself out from the table.

Just as planned. She had gotten in the habit of traveling with you anywhere you went. Once she was in your room, you could light the stick, and try to convince her not to chain you to a magical radiator in an abandoned shack. Of course, you would have to get a guard to be stationed just outside. And crack the window. Don’t want her to get TOO calm after all. 

The two of you walked/ flew down the hall wordlessly. When you arrived at your room you told her to head on in, and that you would be right back. Fetching one of the guards that was posted by your room, you instructed them to wait a bit closer than usual, and to not intervene unless they heard a commotion. In which case, they were free to break down the door.

You returned to your room and opened the door.

Morala was tossing back and forth on your bed with your pillow pressed into her face. She was making a happy humming noise as her feet kicked excitedly.

As she heard the door open she hurled your pillow at the headboard and sat upright. You couldn’t help but notice the wet splotches where her mouth had been.

“Anon! I was just, uh…” she stammered.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” you said. You awkwardly pull out a jar to burn the incense in while Morala adjusted her hair and clothes.

“S-so what did you want to do in your room?” she asked. You could hear the fidget of her wings from behind you. 

“Well, I couldn’t get you the spirit supplement, so I got some incense from Ergine to help you relax. I know you’ve been stressed recently.” you said. You carefully conjured a bit of flame with the help of your rings. A geyser of fire shot out of your hands, searing a few pages on your desk. You beat out the flames and set the jar on the desk. After cracking the window, you took a seat next to Morala on your bed.

She began to breath a bit heavier and squirm.

“So, I know that you’ve been working hard on my behalf, but I think it’s time to address the problem between us.” you said. 

Better to just get this over with. The incense began to fill the room with a minty-sweet aroma.

“Problem?” asked Morala. She stopped moving and looked over at you curiously.

“Yes! Mora, I’m worried about you! You’ve changed!”

“Me?” she asked quietly.

“Yes!” you got up and looked out the window over the town and lake below. The evening sun cast a long orange streak over the rippling waters. “When I got here you were the most kind and caring person I had met since I arrived. You helped me with whatever I needed, and always made sure that I was safe and on track. But then you… you weren’t you anymore. I never thought that I would see the day when you raised your voice at anything, but next thing I knew you were pinning mamono to walls and bossing the other fairies around.”

Morala was silent.

“What am I supposed to think?” you continued. “What should I’m losing a person I care about, and they won’t listen to me? Please Mora, don’t do anything crazy. That’s all I ask!”

You glanced over at the mega-fairy. She had a scowl on her face, but she certainly looked, relaxed.

“What do you mean crazy?” she asked in a whiny voice. “I do everything I do for YOU Anon.”

“I can take care of myself! I’m worried that you can’t see that. What if you’re becoming the very thing that you want to protect me from?”

Morala laid down on your bed and draped an arm over her face.

“You don’t understand…”

“I do understand; that’s why I’m worried. I’m scared that I’m going to lose you forever. Please, don’t become someone you aren’t for my sake.”

You sat next to her on the bed. “It isn’t the rest of the school that’s going crazy, it’s you. I just want things to be normal again.”

Morala rubbed her eyes with her sleeve and moved her arm away from her face. “But I’m scared…” she pouted.

“Don’t be. Everything will be alright.” you assured her. You clasped her hand and she squeezed back. Her eyes grew wide, and slowly closed. She let out a contented hum and began to fade in and out of consciousness.

You were close to falling asleep too. The day had been exhausting and the herbs only compounded your fatigue. Sliding into bed behind Morala, you quickly fall asleep.

~~~~~~~

“ADMAZ GUARD, OPEN UP!”

You thrashed in your covers as the door to your dorm room was ripped off it’s hinges with a thunderous crack. A battalion of fully armed mamono stormed into the tiny space.

Morala screamed and grabbed you, the worst possible thing she could have done in front of the people who were there to protect you. Heavy hands tore the two of you apart and you were swiftly princess-carried out of the room while Morala shrieked and flailed against the intruders.

It took several minutes to explain to the guards that nothing was happening, Morala was not trying to force herself on you, and that she was not the one who had lit the incense. During your explanation, the minotaur who was cradling you would not let you go for ‘safety reasons.’ Her hand supporting your lower half kept groping your ass, and the arm supporting your top half kept folding you into her breasts. The two heaving milk-tanks resting on your body and the heavy breathing of your handler made the interrogation take far longer than it should have.

At last Morala was released from her own questioning but was ordered to return to her own room. She nodded, and stiffly walked away. Poor girl. The minotaur sighed and set you down, telling you to get in as much trouble as you liked as long as she was on duty. With a hearty slap on your butt, she moseyed away with the rest of the squad leaving you alone in the lounge. 

~~~~~~

The next day was awkward to say the least. You and Morala were both silent as you ate your breakfast. The fairies seemed to sense something was up, and pestered both of you with a stream of questions.

“Where did you both go last night?”

“Mistress smells like Anon!”

“Did something happen? Hey, hey! Why are you both so quiet?”

“Are you pregnant? Are we gonna have a sister?”

The mamono at the other tables around you whipped around or spat out their food at the last question.

“No! Please don’t say things like that! Nothing happened!” you said loud enough for the others to hear.

“Aww…”

Morala giggled at their disappointment. It was good to see her laugh again. You couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled like that. 

“Anon!”

You turned to see a succubus hurrying towards you.

“Hello, my name is Buera. I was the one who tested your spirit supplement.” she explained.

The mamono around you hushed as they listened intently. Morala clenched her fists and remained sitting with her back to the stranger. You looked her in the eyes and smiled. 

“I see. Well, what can I do for you?” you say as formally as possible.

“President Oroba wishes to know if you would be willing to produce more spirit supplement for experimentation.” she said.

“Experimentation?” you ask. As far as you knew, it was just monster pre-workout.

“Yes! Your supplement is quite unique! We want to better understand why it behaves in a different manner than samples from normal males.” said Buera.

“What do you mean ‘behaves differently.’” asked Morala swiveling around out of curiosity.

“Oh! I’ve said too much. I’m not supposed to divulge anything until we complete all the experiments that they have planned. Anyways, if you would please just stop by the laboratory after your afternoon class, it would be appreciated. Thanks Anon!”

Buera wandered away leaving you and Morala equally confused.

“What does she mean ‘different?!’” asked Morala again.

“I don’t know! They took the supplement from me as soon as I walked out the door. I didn’t even know who consumed it until she introduced herself!” you pleaded. 

Morala glared at the succubus as she walked through the crowd. 

“Get some for me too.”

“Huh?”

Morala turned back to you. “You heard me!” she said in a hushed tone. “If you’re making spirit supplement, the least you could do is sneak a little out for me. Ergine would let you! She likes us.”

“But Buera said it may be dangerous.” 

“I just want a taste!” hissed Morala leaning towards you.

You recoiled as she came towards you. Seeing you lurch backwards, she stopped herself and took a deep breath.

“Please, Anon. I promise no one will get hurt.” she said.

Fuck. No way you could resist that pout.

“Fine. I’ll ask, but if Ergine says no, that’s that, okay? I don’t want you to blow anything up or something.” you said.

“Oh, thank you Anon! I’m so excited!” she said with a little clap.

You chuckled in spite of yourself. You knew that she was still toeing the line between protective friend and controlling sexual deviant, but she was a supernatural being made for seducing men and bringing them happiness after all. You return to your meal and help some fairies crack open the hard shell of a bread roll.

~~~~~~

“Anon! There you are! I was wondering if you were coming or not.” said Ergine as you walked into the lab.

“Hi Ergine, sorry I’m late. I had to ask Aegoli a few questions after her lecture.” you said setting your things down.

“Of course! Now, could I trouble you to get another sample for me?” asked Ergine hefting a beaker.

While you were busy, you heard the door open and people conversing. You were too busy to pay attention to what they were saying.  
As you came out of the stall, you found Oroba, Hicera and Buera standing in the lab.

“Hello, Anon.” said Oroba.

“Oh! President, hi…” you said trying to move the cup of semen out of the way. It would seem that you were the only one who was uncomfortable with this situation. “Is there something you need?”

Ergine took the jar from you and hovered over to Breville.

“No, we were just coming to see the sample being made. Ergine tells us that the product is quite anomalous.” said Oroba.

“I’m here to collect a fraction for medical testing.” said Hicera.

“And I’m still a test dummy.” said Buera.

“Speaking of fractions, I was wondering if I could keep a tiny sample for myself.” You ask.

The monsters looked at you in confusion. 

“Why?” asked Oroba.

“He wants to give it to a girl!” squealed Ergine.

“WHAT?!” shouted Oroba.

You done it now Ergine…

“Anon, please tell me that isn’t the case!” said Hicera.

“It isn’t like that! It’s not a gesture of love or anything, she’s just curious!” you said.

“It is a gesture of love whether you know it or not!” retorted Oroba.

“Who were you going to give it to?” asked Buera. Her tail was waggling behind her. She seemed more intent on the gossip than the danger.

“I just wanted to give a little to Morala as a thank you present.” You said.

Everyone relaxed as you mentioned Morala’s name.

“Anon, I don’t think it would be very wise to give any to Morala. She’s a very kind soul, but even she may get the wrong idea. There have also been… unconfirmed reports of strange behavior from her lately.” said Oroba.

Your heart leapt. She knew! This could all end now.

“Are you talking about her acting strange? Because I…”

A shimmer of light behind the others caught your attention. On the wall behind them, a tiny prismatic light shone next to a small silhouette. A chill ran down your spine. Your back was to the window, and there was only one thing you could think of that would cast such a strange shadow.

“Anon?” asked Hicera.

“…Because I think that she is just stressed.” you finished softly. That sneaky bitch. So that’s how she had been able to find you wherever you went, how she was able to find out about things seconds after they happened. You had underestimated the other fairies. Never had it occurred to you that they would actually be complicit in this lunacy. They seemed too innocent. You had always thought they just enjoyed the puppy aspect of love, like a gang of middle school girls teasing their friend. 

If Morala was still shadowing you with minions, that meant she still didn’t trust you or anyone around you. 

She hadn’t changed a bit.

“Anon?! What’s wrong? You’re so pale all of a sudden!” said Hicera moving towards you.

“I’m fine.” you muttered.

You got long-conned by a fucking fairy princess.

The ding from Breville saved you from any more interrogation as Ergine collected the supplement from her.

“Okie-dokie! We got a nice, piping hot batch of supplement Mrs. President!” said Ergine.

“Thank you, Ergine.” said Oroba.

She moved over to a lab bench and poured a bit out onto one of the working stations. It was just a mat that was ‘magically inert,’ whatever that meant.

You took a seat opposite the others and rested your chin on your hand. What were you going to do? Morala was further gone than you thought. Sure, the fairy could be acting on her own, it could be a huge coincidence, but it was all just to convenient.   
You thought back to all the meals you had shared together. How the fairies would form little cliques and groups, and how over time some had become more fearful and timid around you while others had grown more bold and direct with their inquiries about your relationship to their leader. Those were the same fairies that you had seem most often in the halls.

“You were spot on with the texture part Buera…”

Your train of thought was interrupted by Oroba’s quip. She was prodding through the pile of powder with a small utensil.

“The grains are much larger than normal. Let’s run an energy diagnostic on it and see what it looks like.” she said.

Buera nodded and took a small scoop of the supplement. Adding it to a test tube, she poured in a small amount of liquid and swirled the vial a few times. The supplement disintegrated, leaving a clear solution. She went to a strange, boxy contraption and opened the lid. Slotting the tube into a holder, she shut the box and began to press some of the buttons on the side.  
“Have you had time to read the report, Ergine?” asked Oroba.

“Yes. Very strange! I’ve never heard of anything like it before. Even high-quality supplement doesn’t behave like that. It would seem Anon is just volatile by nature.” said Ergine.

“Hmm… I wonder if a soul is only stable in its original plane…” mused Oroba.

“Stable or not, this supplement is dangerous. Think of what happened to poor Buera last time.” said Hicera.

“What DID happen?” you asked.

“Well, she looked like you when you first got here. I’m sure you heard the blast…” said Oroba.

“Yeah, I get the picture.” you said. 

“Oh!”

The three of you turned to Buera as she read over a length of paper that was being spit out by the machine.

“This is… I don’t know what this is…” she said apologetically.

Tearing off the paper, she brought it over to the table.

Your Common literacy had progressed considerably, but you had no idea what any of the words or diagrams on the readout meant. It was frustrating not being able to read and write words that were uncommon in this language.

“This has to be wrong…” said Oroba.

“Why are their so many peaks?” asked Hicera.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“Nothing. The damn thing must be broken.” said Oroba. She folded up the sheet and poured most of the supplement into a small container. The remaining portion she gave to Buera.

“We’ll run another test tomorrow. This time, we’ll only use a little bit at a time. I think that if we stagger the consumption, we can stop any of the negative side effects.” said Oroba.

“Alright!” said Buera cheerfully. She scooped up the canister of supplement and left the lab.

“Hicera, I want to get this tested more thoroughly. We’ll send the rest to Tomb Haven University. They should be able to get a better idea about what’s going on.” said Oroba.

“Ara, swallowing your pride, president?” said Hicera smugly. You didn’t know she was capable of sass.

“Shut it.” Growled the demon. “I still don’t like them, but I haven’t been tinkering with magic for the centuries they have. Just make sure to make the correspondence as ambiguous as possible. I don’t want anymore crazy undead nobles trying to kidnap Anon. Keep the supplement in the medical vault and post an extra guard.”

“Very well president. So long Anon, it was good to see you healthy for once!” Hicera took the remaining supplement and exited the lab.

“Are you certain that you are alright Anon? You look troubled.” said Oroba.

“We can help!” said Ergine.

“No. I’m fine. Just tired I guess.” you said with a weak smile. The shimmering light on the wall behind them gleamed in the late afternoon sun.

~~~~~

“They have the supplement in the vault. You won’t be able to get in.” said Hyluciele.

“All of it?” asked Morala. She made another long arc of chalk on the floor connecting two sigils.

“Most. They gave the rest to Buera.”

Morala narrowed her eyes. “I knew it.”

“He was there talking to her in the lab. All of them. The president, the Head Practitioner, the Head Alchemist, seems like all of them decide where Anon goes and who he associates with.” said Hyluciele.

“They won’t take him from me.” said Morala.

“Do you have a plan mistress? You won’t be able to get past the wards in the vault.” said Hyluciele flying over to inspect Morala’s lines.

“We won’t need to. They have to take it out of the vault to transport it. What we need now is a bit of the supplement from that whore Buera.”

“I figured you would say as much. Here.” 

Hyluciele landed and withdrew a single grain clump of supplement, no bigger than a pea.

“That was all I could take without her noticing.” said Hyluciele.

Morala stared at the ball. Anon’s essence. So close. She could take it right now, but the ritual she was conducting would be ruined without the focus. 

Patience, Morala. Patience. 

She looked over at the chalkboard with the names of her first five children scribbled on it. First four really, she wanted at least one to have a Terran name. If Anon wanted to name one or two more after people or things on Earth, well she wouldn’t be opposed. Morala rubbed the tattoo over her womb and sighed.

“I still don’t understand what the plan is mistress. Even when the spirit supplement is outside of the vault, it will still be too heavily guarded to take.” said the pixie.

“We aren’t taking it.”

“We aren’t?”

“No. In fact, we want THEM to take it.” said Morala moving to a circle to finish the delicate geometry needed to finish it.  
“But why? Are you giving up on Anon?” asked Hyluciele quickly.

“Never. But a frontal attack would mean they separation from him forever. I cannot risk such a fate. Fortunately, the volatility that keeps me from his essence is the very thing that we will use to establish that it is *I* who am destined to be at his side.”

Hyluciele flew over the sprawling circuit of spell-circles. “With a hex mistress?”

“Precisely. The college will see that anyone who takes the powder is poisoned. When the toxicity of his essence is confirmed, I will come forth and be miraculously immune to the ruinous properties. No fool in all the lands could then claim that he and I were not destined for one another.”

The pixie grinned. What a clever girl. Hyluciele had been skeptical when her REAL mistress had ordered her to indoctrinate Morala to her cause, but the pixie now saw firsthand how powerful of an asset this innocent airhead turned out to be. Hyluciele couldn’t help but giggle with glee.

“My my, mistress! Everything is going according to your plans then! You’re just so smart it’s scary sometimes~”

~~~~~~~

The next morning Crowlyne, Oroba, Buera and Hicera all gathered on the practice field. It was more exposed than Oroba would have liked, but having a few onlookers was a small price to pay to ensure that another building didn’t receive any ‘surprise renovations.’

“Did you even ask him if he knew why his supplement was not reading correctly in the essence reader?” asked Crowlyne.

“He hardly knows what the spirit supplement even is. How would he know?” said Oroba.

“I just feel like he knows more than he’s letting on.” said Crowlyne.

“We can discuss this matter later. For now, let’s just get on with the experiment. Buera, dear, could you take one measure of supplement?”

Buera took one of the small glasses of supplement arranged in a line on a table and knocked it back.

The team of professors watched intently. Nothing happened.

“No effect. Next.” said Crowlyne scribbling down a note with her magic.

Buera consumed the next glass of supplement. She grimaced as the foul-tasting powder passed over her palate.

“Anything?” asked Hicera.

“I feel a little bit more energetic.” said Buera.

“Alright. Take one more and then we’ll take a break.” said Oroba.

Buera reached for the third glass and paused. She put both of her hands on the table and leaned over it with her head hung.

“Buera?” asked said Hicera.

“I’m fine. I just… felt a little dizzy.” she said dismissing them with a wave of her hand.

“Well then don’t take anymore.” said Oroba.

“No, really. I’m alright.” said Buera. She raised her head and took a deep breath. With a trembling hand she raised the third glass.

“Buera! Do-“

Before Oroba could stop her, the succubus had consumed half of the powder in the tiny glass.

Buera coughed violently and collapsed. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. The others rushed over to her as she vomited up the supplement.

“By the Demon Lord, what’s happening to her?” asked Oroba.

“I don’t know! Obviously some sort of reaction with the supplement!” shouted Hicera.

Buera was gasping for air on her back. Sweat rolled down her face onto the hands of the professors.

“Get her to the medical ward, NOW!”

~~~~~~

“How could this happen…” said Hicera.

The trio watched as nurses flocked around Buera’s bed. 

“We should be thankful that she’s alright.” said Crowlyne.

“But why did it only happen THIS time?” said Oroba.

“If Anon can become sick by a build up of mamono mana, perhaps we can become ill if we consume too much of his.” speculated Hicera.

Oroba sighed. If Anon’s essence really was toxic this meant a whole new world of problems.

“Hicera, when is the shipment to Tomb Haven leaving?” asked Oroba.

“It should leave very soon, why?”

“Send a message along with it: ‘do not consume under any circumstances.’ I don’t want some lab assistant’s death on my hands if they lick their fingers after handling Anon’s supplement.”

Hicera signaled to one of the harpy nurses and handed her a note.

Oroba looked out the window over the city. She needed a drink.

~~~~~

Emballandae chuckled with glee in her carriage as the caravan of goods prepared to embark for Tomb Haven. She had made a deal with the college to get the supplement to her own university faster than a conventional delivery service. The fools probably thought that sending the package off with a powerful vampire for free was a great deal. She had personally taken the package with Anon’s spirit supplement. Opening the lid to the container, she licked her chops at the sight of the decadent white powder.

“Ma’am, I don’t think it’s wise to take that supplement…” said her ghoul guard captain.

“Don’t question me! I worked hard to get this! Anon is promised to me, you know that. Once Lussazan awakens and gives legitimacy to my claim there will be nothing to stand between me and my property. It is only right that I should have the privilege of tasting what I am entitled to.” said Emballandae. She took out a pinch with her magic and swirled the powder around in front of her face.

“The note was very clear not to take that! Milady, you may fall ill or-“

“Enough! Where my mother hires such blithering idiots like you is beyond me. If you had ANY sort of common sense you would know that the warning was to serve as a way to deter the ones transporting the supplement from eating it.”

“You’re saying it’s a bluff?”

“Of course it’s a bluff! Goodness, you commoners are so easy to fool. Don’t worry…” said Emballandae taking in a mouthful of the supplement. “If you are diligent and hardworking, you will always be assured a place at the side of someone as smart as ME.”

The ghoul captain watched silently as Emballandae’s face began to twitch and redden. The vampire let out a high-pitched moan and clasped her stomach. She fumbled for the door and only just managed to get her head outside before a torrent of bile poured out of her. When Emballandae had stopped vomiting she made no attempt to get back inside.

“…Milady?” asked the ghoul to the half of Emballandae that was still in the carriage. There was no response.

With a heavy sigh the ghoul exited the carriage on the opposite side and went to the other side to collect the puke-splattered maiden. As she carried her off to the infirmary, she redid the math in her head of when she would have enough money to retire with her husband.

~~~~~~

You were in the middle of your history homework when Hicera knocked on your door.

“Anon? It’s Hicera. I need to speak with you.” She said. 

She sounded worried, but you weren’t surprised. The poor unicorn seemed to fret about everything.

Opening the door for her, you stand aside to let her in. She eyed the confined space of your dorm.

“I’ll just stay out here, thanks.” She said.

“Is something wrong?” you inquired.

“Well, yes. Two mamono recently fell ill after consuming the supplement you produced yesterday. I need to know EXACTLY what you ate and drank in the time before you made the sample.” She said.

“Wait, ill? What do you mean ill? Like poisoned ill?”

Hicera frowned and looked away. “We don’t know what’s wrong with them. They are recovering as we speak, but Oroba and I agree that it was probably something in your diet that tainted the supplement.”

“And why do you keep saying ‘they’? I thought that only Buera was going to test the supplement!” you said angrily. Were they selling the stuff behind your back?

“No, one of the mamono that was transporting a sample to a more well-equipped lab decided to partake in some of the product…” said Hicera.

Shocking.

“How would what I eat cause the supplement to go bad? The first batch I made was perfectly fine. If I’m eating demon-realm food and adjusting to the demon realm, shouldn’t I be making LESS toxic supplement?”

“We don’t know. It isn’t as if we have any records to call on in this matter. Now would you please just tell me?” she said in exasperation.

You quickly rattle off what you remember eating over the past few days. Hicera gave you more than a few dirty looks as you revealed just how many snacks you had been sneaking without her permission.

“I will go over this list with the other professors.” She said tucking away the parchment in one of the bags that hung over her equine half. “The sooner we figure out what’s causing this problem the better.”

You were just relieved that Morala wasn’t involved in this for once.

Or was she?

You did see the fairy outside the window of the lab when the supplement was made. Could they have poisoned the powder somehow?

“Hicera!” you called out.

She stopped abruptly, startled by your outburst.

“The supplement, was it poisoned?” you ask.

“No, it wasn’t. That’s what’s so strange about all of this. We tested the remaining powder for toxicity and couldn’t find anything. There was nothing added to it, and no indication that the supplement itself was tainted in anyway. It should theoretically be safe for consumption.”

“Then… is it possible that someone is using some sort of curse against the people who took the supplement?” you ask quietly. You didn’t really know if monsters had any malicious curses that weren’t sexual in nature.

Hicera frowned. “That’s a very specific thing to ask… Do you know something Anon?”

You swallowed in spite of yourself. “No, I was just curious, that’s all. In my world superstitious people would sometimes cast curses or hexes on people they didn’t like. It’s just an {Earth} thing, haha…” you said doing your best to play it off as a benign question.

“And just who wouldn’t like those girls who tried your supplement?” said Hicera.

Fuck.

Your eyes went wide and you began to stammer out a response. Nothing your racing mind could come up with seemed to make it to your mouth. No matter how much your jaw moved up and down, nothing came out.

A look of understanding slowly grew on Hicera’s face. “Anon…”

“I don’t know how to explain it that’s all! I told you, it was just an {Earth} thing. I have to get back to work!” you shout.  
You slam the door and sit yourself back down at your desk. Why did you get the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse…

~~~~~~~

Morala stifled a yawn as she slowly flew towards her room. Fairies orbited around her, playing with each other or telling her news about the day. A fairy flew down the hall towards her.

“Mora! Mora there’s someone waiting for you…”

“Who is it little one?” she asked.

“It’s the president.” Said the fairy quietly.

Morala nodded and dismissed her. What could Oroba want with her she wondered?

Oroba was waiting just outside her door. The other fairies were keeping their distance from the out-of-place demon.

“President, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked. 

“I’m afraid that this isn’t about pleasure. Have you heard the news?” Oroba asked.

Of course Morala had heard. The fairies had told her only minutes after Buera had succumb to her hex. She hadn’t anticipated the bumbling bloodsucker, but a noble becoming sick after stealing precious cargo she swore to guard was quite the scandal.

“I have. That poor vampire girl became sick after taking Anon’s supplement. What do you think could have caused such an ailment?” asked Morala with illegitimate concern.

“Initially we had no idea. But we tested them for any sort of magic and found that they were both the victims of the same curse.” said Oroba.

“A curse?”

“Yes. We’re worried that this is just the beginning. Obviously Anon is the target, so we will be transferring him somewhere safe.”

“What?!” shouted Morala.

Oroba raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem, Ms. Fray? You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the perpetrator, would you?”

Morala silently cursed her outburst. For all her magical prowess, there was no way that she could get away with lying to a demon. She racked her mind for anything that could get her out of the trap.

“Mora wouldn’t do anything like that!”

The fairies around her came to her aid.

“Yeah!”

“How dare you!”

Oroba remained wordless as the cluster of tiny women hurled accusations at her. She removed herself from the wall she was leaning on and moved towards the exit.

“Have a good night, Ms. Fray. Don’t stay up too late.” said Oroba coldly.

Morala clenched her fists. She knew.

~~~~~~

You were awoken especially early by a brutal pounding on your door. The sun had barely crept over the horizon, casting a long ray of light over your ceiling. Rubbing the sleep from you eyes you shuffle to the door and asked for a name.

“It’s me Anon! Open up please.”

Morala. Of course. Who else.

She sounded distressed. For the first time in a long time, you used your better judgment and kept the door closed.

“Uhh, I’m not dressed. Can you just talk to me from there?” you asked.

There was a pause and then the sound of heavy sniffing from around the bottom of the door.

“You ARE dressed! DON’T LIE TO ME ANON! Now let me in!” she shouted. The pounding resumed with more intensity.

“No! Calm down! What the hell do you want from me?!” you retorted.

Morala stopped pounding and took a deep breath. “Anon, I know what I am about to ask will be a bit audacious, but I want you to truly consider it and think carefully about your decision. I know you will make the right choice, but you do need to decide quickly.”

Her voice betrayed her nerves. What had her so wound up?

“What do you want Morala…”

“I want you to come with me to the fairy kingdom.” she said.

You both stood in silence for a moment as you processed her request.

“Anon?”

“You want me to *what*?” you asked.

“Please Anon! It is too perilous here! In the fairy kingdom I could keep you safe! You could continue your studies with the best fey scholars in the realm and make new friends with the innumerable fairies. The land is more beautiful than any other, and all its inhabitants are virtuous and kind. You would never again fear for your safety or be threatened by one of the curs who seek to brazenly claim you for their own.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve talked to anyone else about this plan.” You said.

“I have not, but if they care for you even half as much as I, then they will be overcome with joy that you are in paradise.” said Morala.

You stared at the door. Morala’s breathing softly emanated from the other side. The handle rattled and shook as she tried once more to force her way in.

“Get packed as soon as you can, we can leave at once.”

“Morala… you know I can’t do that.” You said.

The rattling stopped.

“What?”

“I’m staying here Mora. I’m not leaving.” You said firmly.

“It is too dangerous here Anon. Did you not hear of the curse that afflicts the ones who took your supplement? You are being targeted!” said Morala. Her tone was becoming more commanding.

“No, I didn’t know it was a curse until you said it was. Answer my question first Morala: Was it you who cursed those poor girls?” you said.

“We don’t have time for this! OPEN THE DOOR!”

“ANSWER ME!” you shouted.

There was a flash outside the door and a boom echoed through the halls outside. A wall of sigils and glyphs appeared on the door as it held firm against the magical onslaught. Morala shrieked in frustration and flew away down the hall.

You hadn’t realized it, but you had backed yourself all the way across the room against the opposite wall. After a few minutes, you detached yourself and sat on your bed. Guess you were taking a sick day…

~~~~~

When the next knock came, you were prepared. The sun had risen, but your curtains blocked all but a sliver from entering your room. Your chair was firmly wedged under the door handle and the dresser blocked the remainder of the door frame.

“Who is it?” you demanded. Acting tough was difficult. You were starting to get hungry and had already resorted to using a vase to relieve yourself.

“Anon? It’s Nevkya. We need your help.” 

You scrambled to push aside the barricade and crack open the door. Nevkya and a handful of guards packed the hallway.

“If you had to barricade yourself in, I assume you know what this is all about.” She said solemnly. 

“Yeah. I know.” You said.

“Come with us.” She said turning and hurrying down the hall.

You fell into position in the middle of the guard cluster and followed after Nevkya amidst the rattle of armor.

~~~~~~

“Where are we going?” you asked breathlessly.

“I can’t say. But we’re almost there.” Said Nevkya.

Your party arrived at the medical wing, and you realized that the guard captain had taken a purposely roundabout route.

“Why are we here?” you asked.

Nevkya said nothing and pushed you inside. You noticed Buera and Emballandae laying in adjacent beds. Hicera was attending to another patient who was blocked by her horse-half.

“I brought him.” Said Nevkya.

Hicera turned and as she did, you saw Oroba laying in the bed.

“President?” you said in disbelief. She looked terrible. Her beautiful blue skin had become almost baby blue. Sweat poured down her face and she was moaning softly.

“She confronted Morala last night. There can now be no doubt that Morala Fray is responsible for the magical attacks on all three victims.” Said Nevkya.

You nodded. No words needed to be said.

“The situation is dire. We know that Morala must be conducting teletomancy on the college grounds. However, we are unable to locate her.” Continued Nevkya.

“What of she fled?” you asked.

“Not while you remain here.” said Hicera.

“Do we just wait her out? She has to show up eventually.” You suggest.

“Impossible. Morala is using very advanced teletomancy to circumvent both detection and wards. If she is left to her own devices, it is inevitable that more mamono will fall to curses, or that you will be bound to her.”

“Wait, bound? As in, soul-bound?” you ask.

“Indeed.” Said Nevkya.

“She can’t do that, can she? I thought the only way was through sex!” you said.

“There are spells that can link two beings in the same manner. They are difficult to preform and require a vast amount of energy. In other words, she may be casting the spell as we speak.” Said Hicera.

You collapsed into a chair to process the implication. Bound to Morala?

“Can we stop it?” you said.

“We can. Morala has proven her skill at circumventing conventional wards, but no caster can complete a teletomancy spell if they are interrupted. Our only option is to find Morala and destroy her ritual chamber.”

“I suppose that if it were as easy as it sounds you would have found it already…” you said.

“Morala has hidden herself well. That is why we need you.” Said Nevkya.

“As bait.” You said.

“No. Putting you in any sort of danger would only bring more curses down onto us. We need you to find her and distract her.”

“How should I know where she is? You and Hicera know the layout of the college better than I do and you STILL couldn’t find her.” You said.

“Think Anon! There must be some clue that she gave as to where she went all this time. Anything can help.” Said Hicera.

You thought for a moment. “I may not know where she is, but I know someone who might.”

~~~~~~

“Is Morala in trouble?” asked Pieris.

It certainly implicated her in things when the first thing she asks after seeing a platoon of guards storm the room is if her boss is alright.

“Mora is very confused Pieris. We need to go help her.” You said.

Pieris shook her head. “Mora changed! She isn’t nice to me anymore.”

“That’s why we’re here. We want to make her nice again. Wouldn’t you like to be friends with Mora again?”

Pieris sniffled and nodded.

“Then we need to know where she is.”

“She studies in a classroom that isn’t being used right now. In that tower. I don’t know what floor it’s on. She has a bunch of illusion spell protecting it so I got lost all the time.” Said Pieris.

“Thank you, Pieris. We’ll make sure she’s back to normal in no time.” You said.

~~~~~~

“Anything?” asked Nevkya.

Crowlyne shook her head. “This hall is clear too.”

“Are you certain that you would notice? There are illusion spells in place.”

Crowlyne scoffed. “That brat can’t hold a candle to me. I EARNED my title as High Magus mind you. If there were spells protecting this place I would be able to sense them.”

Your entourage moved to the next floor. You jostled between the guards, who were too wide to fit on the staircase with you in the middle.

“Wait.” 

The guards rattled to a halt as Crowlyne gave her order.

“This is the place. Down this hall.” She pointed.

Slowly the group pressed forwards with Crowlyne and Nevkya at the front. Crowlyne stopped at a wall and frowned.

“Well, she certainly isn’t a slouch.” She said.

With a wave of her hand, the wall rippled and morphed into a door. The floor around it was scuffed from the moving of furniture into or out of the room.

“Anon, it’s up to you now. Morala doesn’t know much in the way of combat magic, so just worry about yourself. Try talking to her, and when we get a chance, we’ll break up her circles.” Said Nevkya.

You nodded. Your whole body felt heavy. What should you even say to her? Stepping forwards you listened to the noise from the other side of the door.

Morala was chanting something you couldn’t understand. The air around the door seemed to crackle with energy. You took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The chanting stopped. There was a second of silence and a faint rustling before you hear Morala call out weakly.

“…Anon?”

“It’s me, Morala.”

Morala clattered around as she approached the door.

“How did you find me? Are you with other people out there?” she asked.

Nevkya mouthed ‘alone’ to you.

“Yeah, there are other people out here Mora.” You said.

Nevkya slapped a palm over her face and Crowlyne closed her eyes.

“… I see…” said Morala.

“I don’t think you do, Morala. You seem to be the only one who thinks that you haven’t gone crazy.”

“I am not crazy! You don’t understand! None of you do!” said Morala.

“Don’t understand what? Going any length for love? I bet I could find more than a few mamono who could sympathize with you. But this isn’t about how far you went, it’s about who you hurt getting there.” You said.

“They don’t matter!” said Morala.

“They matter to me! And if you really care about me than you wouldn’t be hurting the people I care about!” you said.

Morala began to cry. “I only wanted to protect you.”

“And yet here I am being protected from YOU.” 

“They don’t understand you! They want to separate us!”

“You want to separate me from them! You want me all to yourself!”

“I want you because I care!” Morala wailed. She sobbed harder and sniffed.

“I care too, Mora. That’s why I’m here. I miss you. I miss talking about things on {Earth}, or watching the sunset, talking about our days, or even playing with the fairies. But you took those things away! You took away the things that made me care about you. And you did the same to the other fairies too.”

Morala was making short little wheezes.

“Please, open the door Mora. It’s over.”

She cried for a few more minutes and slowly collected herself.

“…If I open the door, will I ever get to see you again?” she asked.

“As long as you’re willing to get better. No more curses, no more spells, no more trickery or lying.”

Nevkya and Crowlyne looked at each other as Morala remained silent.

“…Would it make you happy?” she asked.

“Morala, nothing would make me happier than getting my friend back.” You said confidently.

There was a loud sigh and the door knob rattled. A wall of smoke billowed out of the room as the door swung inwards. Morala stood in the doorway topless. 

You had never seen her without a modest dress on, and your pants became painfully tight seeing her breasts. They were heavy, but still managed to support themselves without hanging as far as you would guess. An intricate tattoo covered her lower abdomen.  
“Then I’ll do it for you Anon.” she said with a tearful smile.

Before any of the gawking guards could stop her, she rushed forward and pulled you into a hug. You squeezed her back, even though you knew it would probably mean a trip to go get detoxified later. 

All that mattered now was that Morala was back to normal.

~~~~~~

“I’m glad that you were able to resolve the incident without violence.” Said Oroba.

“I’m just glad she listened to reason.” You said taking the cup of tea she handed you.

“Thankfully she truly is a good girl at heart. I imagine the guilt of harming others must have weighed heavily on her.” Said Magnara.

“Will she be okay?” you asked.

“In time, yes. With enough distance and time her obsession will wane into a more conventional form of affection. She has been sent to her family’s fief in the Fairy Kingdoms. Her family has also graciously paid for all the damage she caused and for keeping her out of jail.” Said Oroba.

“Always nice to have the money…” you grumbled.

“Oh, don’t be like that Anon. I cared about her too; after all I’m the one who entrusted you to her care. I just didn’t think she had it in her. Then again, I suppose that I had never seen what her love was like.”

“I’m just glad that everything worked out in the end.” Said Magnara.

“Me too.” You agreed.

“Indeed. I shall see about finding you another tutor for Common speech. I think that you are more than independent enough to manage your own day to day life from now on.” Said Oroba.

“I’ll certainly try.” You said.

“Excellent! Now then…” Oroba raised her cup. “I do believe a toast is in order after that headache.”

The three of you clinked your glasses and took a sip of tea.

“I just hope that you can stay out of trouble Anon.” said Magnara.

~~~~~~~~~  
The lich slowly opened her eyes. She had not experienced such fatigue since she had been alive. Her husband was nestled next to her, softly breathing on her cold skin.

A spectral eye manifested at her bedside and looked her over. It vanished in a puff of smoke as quickly as it had appeared.  
Moments later the door opened and a tall vampire entered the room.

“Finally awake, Lussazan?”

“Lady Petropa…” whispered the lich.

“How do you feel?”

The lich could barely keep her eyes open. Even now the world seemed more like a dream than reality.

“I see.” Said the vampire. “Well recover quickly, I have need of you.”

“So… tired…” whispered the lich.

“I don’t care! Listen, the experiment worked. Do you hear me? It worked.” Said the vampire leaning over the supine corpse-woman. “So if you can’t get out of that bed or be of any use I’ll find someone who can!”

The lich’s eyes widened. Suddenly she didn’t feel so tired.

“It worked?”

Petropa sneered. “Oh? Did that get your attention? Yes, it worked. But I risk losing my investment. That WILL NOT happen. Is that clear?”

“Yes… Milady.” Said the lich. She was eager as could be, but could still only manage a whisper.

Petropa nodded. She quickly strode to the door. “I’ll have the servants bring you and your husband anything you need.” She said without glancing back. “Don’t disappoint me.”

The door closed leaving the couple in the dark. The lich lay awake thinking for some time, before embracing her husband and falling back to sleep.

END OF ARC 3: SHADOW OF TITANIA


	23. Chapter 23

Well, this was certainly a catastrophe. After Morala Fray, your titania friend and guardian went crazy and tried to use some serious teltomancy to keep you away from everyone else, you were now stuck with no real friends in this mamono world.

Morala’s family had quickly arrived to take their daughter back to their land in the fairy kingdom. They apologized profusely for their daughter’s behavior and promised to cover the cost of any damage caused to the school or the other students. There were rumors about what had transpired, but the college, town, and Fray family managed to save face and sweep the incident under the rug. It would have been a nightmare for everyone if word had gotten out.

Too bad that you were the one to suffer the most. Having a normal conversation with mamono was almost impossible. At most they could only get out a sentence or two before trying to make a move on you or crumbling into a stuttering spaghetti spewing mess. The worst ones were the girls who just sat there and eyed you over. They would only give single word answers while they imagined what it would be like to get you alone.

Sitting at the fairy table was out of the question. The schism you had caused between the Morala loyalists and the fairies that had tried to stop her prevented ANY conversation. When you sat down, the talk dried up and you all ate in spiteful silence until the fairies left or you did. Lately, you had taken to sitting with the few human men of the college. That was a mistake; the culture gap between the you and the other men was too great. From healsluts to wimpy mages, it seemed like there were no other men in the school who were focused on anything other than domestic or utility spells.

“Don’t you guys ever want to blast things?” you asked them one day.

“Blast things?”

“Yeah. You know, leave your enemies as a smoldering crater, turn your foes to ash, that kind of thing.”

The silent looks of contempt and confusion dissuaded you from bringing up the topic again. Maybe you would just have to teach yourself some combat magic. Or transfer schools.

You took a bite of steamed vegetable and looked out the window. It was a big world out there. For all you knew it may be bigger than earth. You couldn’t spend the rest of your life in one town, right?

Well, you might if some wacko chains you up in her basement. Such a thing had seemed impossible in this utopian setting. But the more time you spent in this world, the more you realized that these were people just like you; with their own fears, aspirations, dreams, and lives to live. Morala was proof that not everything would go according to plan, or be easy to get out of.

“Did you hear the news from Tomb Haven?”

“No, what’s happening? Is it their festival season?”

“Nah, that’s later in the year. My brother is married to a zombie there and he says that the von Chiropta family is raising an army.”

You perk up at the mention of the name. Emballandae von Chiropta had been one of the more memorable monsters to solicit sex/service/power from you. The last time you had seen her was when she was in the hospital. You hadn’t paid her much mind as a gigantic fairy was about to curse you and do unspeakable things to your dick. The only thing you do remember was that she was coated in puke.

“An army? For what? Are they raiding a human city?”

“I don’t know. It sounded like it was a covert operation. Everyone is nervous, but Lady Petropa won’t tell them anything. My brother’s worried that his wife will be drafted.”

“Do you really think they would do that?”

“No. He’s just worried. He’s been anxious ever since he met that poor girl. Every time she falls or bumps into something he always comes running over.”

“That’s so sweet!”

“I know. The way he dotes on her is adorable. Once when we were at a dinner party, she…”

You tuned out the conversation as the mages began to gush about couple things. The fact that you couldn’t form a close relationship with mamono without dying was beyond frustrating. All day every day you heard about how great it was to have someone loving you and how wonderful it felt to reciprocate that love. Then again, it’s not as if you had a specific person or species in mind. The closest thing you had to a plan was a book of scribblings you kept by in your nightstand to collect and organize your thoughts. It was filled with pros and cons of certain mamono, ideas on how to find and attract said mamono, and which ones to avoid. While the encyclopedia had given you a good idea of what this world was like and what its denizens were like, there was a good chance that there were even MORE monsters than the ones already created. For all you know, your ideal species may be one that was not yet added to the book.

Staring out the window, you reminded yourself to visit the library and find an atlas.

~~~~~~

“Are preparations complete?”

“Yes, Lady Petropa.”

Petropa von Chiropta looked over the packet of papers handed to her. A list of troops, supplies, expenses, and logistics sprawled across the parchments. She blazed through the documents in a minute and set them down on her desk.

“Very good, Marshall Goeth. Has the message been sent to Admaz?”

“Yes, Lady Petropa. The messenger harpy was dispatched this morning. She should be arriving at Admaz shortly.” Replied the wight.  
“Then we await their reply. I’ve no doubt that they will refuse to surrender the human…” Petropa glanced over at a dossier detailing Anon. In addition to a sketch of his face, the file also had his height, weight, theoretical dick size, estimated mana output, hobbies, interests, fears, and routine. The space for his blood type was left frustratingly bare. Though Petropa was committed to her husband, she was deathly curious as to what his blood would taste like.

“…’Anon’ to us without coercion. Have the criers and news sources of the town been bought off?” asked Petropa.

“Yes milady. If we are refused, the narrative that we are entitled to Anon since we summoned him here will be pushed. It will be implied that the College is being selfish, hoarding him for fame and money without taking his needs into account. Lussazan will provide enough data from the experiment to prove our claim, without revealing our secrets.”

“Excellent. So long as they believe that we are best suited to keep him healthy, there will be no intervention by the lilims or sabbath.”

“What shall we do if the human refuses to come?” asked Goeth.

“Marshal Goeth, when a human man refuses a monsters hospitality, she MAKES him come~” Said Petropa with a smirk.

The wight sighed. “Very well Lady Petropa. I await your orders.” She gave a quick bow and hurried out of the room.

Petropa returned to the stack of papers, reviewing the articles she had drafted to be published by the local papers.

~~~~~~

“Hey Anon, you’ve met Emballandae right?” asked one of your dorm mates. Ever since Morala went off the deep end, you had been forcing yourself to spend more time in the lounge getting to know the other bachelors in the “single men” wing. There was a predictably high turnover rate, and at least once a month someone would be dragged screaming out of their room in a “surprise habitation reassignment.”

“Yeah, it was a while ago but we… met…” you said. It was a bit disingenuous to call it a meeting, she had proposed to you and you had turned her down. The entire affair was painfully embarrassing for you; you could only imagine the shame Emballandae felt.

“Wow, you’re lucky! I wish I could attract someone like her.”

“What did you two talk about? Did she try to seduce you?”

“Not really. She just barged in and tried to propose to me.” You said.

“What?!”

A few other men scrambled over to take seats around the couch you were sitting on.

“She proposed to you?!”

“Yeah…”

They were visibly confused when they realized that they were not getting further explanation. “…And?”

“And what? I turned her down.” You said flatly.

The others gawked at your nonchalant answer.

“Anon… You don’t just turn down a von Chiropta…”

“You at least let her down gently, right?”

“I tried to.” You said. “But then she started yelling at me…”

“Fuck…”

The rest of the room was silent. Some of the guys whispered to each other and others skittered off to their rooms. Most looked more nervous than they had any right to be.

“Anon, I know this is all new to you, but you have to understand that there are things you just DON’T do here.”

“Relax. The college has my back and there’s no way the town would just let her waltz in here and take me. They’ve stopped plenty of other threats before.” You said with a wave of your hand.

One by one the other men scooted away from you. The last to leave gave you a pitied look, and slipped back into his own room. They were probably just envious; they didn’t know that Emballandae wasn’t the refined lady they believed her to be. You looked over at the guard protecting the stairs that led to your room. She appeared to be on edge.

“Hey…” You asked her. “That’s all just talk, right? There’s no way they really have the power to just take me.”

The werewolf shifted and looked at the floor. “It’s getting late, Anon. you should get to bed.”

After contemplating the situation for a few moments, you stood up and ascended the stairs to your warded dorm room.

Flopping down onto your bed, you did some quick mental calculus. Admaz was primarily a college town, with a population of around fifteen thousand. So far, they had managed to keep you safe from every threat to your virginity (and consequently your life), albeit with some close calls. You had always assumed that the rest of the world was incapable of tearing you out of Admaz; but you had no idea what the rest of this world was like. Whenever you asked about other places and cities, people would go out of their way to give you elaborate descriptions of geography or culture without really telling you much about the place itself. Admaz was by no means a capital city; you knew enough from the encyclopedias to know that this must be a small or middling sized city at best. There must be other cities with larger armies, and other monsters with more power than Admaz. Hell, you should really be thankful that dragons hadn’t decided to come knocking yet.

You looked out the window at the waxing moon. Maybe you did fuck this up a little…

~~~~~~

“Ma’am, a message for you.” Said a succubus knocking on Oroba’s door.

“Bring it in.”

The succubus shuffled in and handed Oroba the scroll.

The president sighed as she saw the seal and parchment. “Not again…”

Breaking open the wax seal with the all to familiar von Chiropta crest, Oroba steeled herself for another droning message from Petropa.  
“What does it say?” asked the secretary.

“Nothing yet…” said Oroba as she read the second half of the missive. Undead really needed to learn that other races didn’t have an eternity to read paragraphs of boasting and supercilious language. 

Her brow furrowed as she reached the informative section of the scroll. Her brow furrowed as she scanned the page.

“Is something wrong?”

“Quiet, I’m reading.” Growled Oroba.

Her hands clenched the page as she reached the last paragraph.

“President…?”

“Call everyone here, now. I don’t care what they’re doing.” Said Oroba.

“O-oh… What should I tell the-“

“JUST FIND THEM! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU TELL THEM JUST GET THEM HERE!” shouted Oroba.

The succubus bolted out of the room. Oroba sat back down and fixed the stacks of papers she had knocked over.

“Fucking vampires…”

~~~~~~

Crowlyne, Hicera, and Nevkya arrived at Oroba’s office a few minutes later. Oroba refused to tell them anything until they were all present.

“What’s all this about, Oroba. That poor secretary of yours looked scared to death.” Said Nevkya.

“I’ll make this short because we don’t have much time: Petropa von Chiropta has laid claim to Anon and is on her way to collect him.” Said Oroba.

“What?!” shouted Nevkya.

“She has no right!” said Crowlyne.

“That’s the problem, Crowlyne. The reason she makes the claim to Anon in the first place is because she asserts that she oversaw the experiment that brought him here.” Said Oroba.

“Experiment?” whispered Hicera.

“Indeed. Petropa has been sponsoring magical projects for decades, and according to her, one of those projects was to summon humans from other dimensions of planes of existence.” Said Oroba.

“That can’t be done.” Scoffed Crowlyne.

“I didn’t think so either, but they sent a copy of their findings and methods. The details are missing, but it looks like it could be viable. The only problem is the energy; the amount needed to preform a summoning even once would be astronomical.” Said Oroba. She passed a copy to Crowlyne.

“But what about Anon’s health? Surely Petropa knows about his condition. They won’t be able to resurrect him as an undead incubus if he dies.” Said Hicera.

“I’m certain that Petropa is aware of the current situation regarding Anon and his aversion to demonic energy. They may know more than us. If they do, they’re holding it over our heads as an excuse to become Anon’s caretakers.”

“That’s ridiculous! They’d be endangering him by withholding that information.” Said Hicera.

“I know, but this is about to become a political battle, one we cannot win. I will do everything in my power to keep him safe and secure here in Admaz, but I have the feeling we’ve been outmaneuvered before we took Anon in.” said Oroba.

“This… is an interesting theory…” muttered Crowlyne. “I’m afraid that I don’t know how or if this could work. We would have to have it verified by other colleges if we hope to invalidate the claim on a scientific basis.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Said Oroba. “We both know that Petropa wouldn’t go this far on a bluff. Do you remember the accident in Tomb Haven all those months ago?”

“Aye. The whole town drained of spirit energy in an instant. Traders that rolled into the town said that people were just lying in the streets where they had been standing. It took them months to replenish everyone’s energy.” Said Nevkya.

“Around the same time that Anon entered this world, if his estimates are correct.” Said Oroba.

“You think that the ‘Tomb Haven sleeping sickness’ was a summoning?” asked Crowlyne.

“It would explain the symptoms, and why it only affected Tomb Haven…”

The four monsters sat in sullen silence.

“Well, are we going to just hand him over then?” asked Hicera.

“I see no other way. The letter made it very clear that Petropa would take ‘drastic measures to ensure the human’s safety’ if we refused to comply.” Said Oroba.

“We can’t just leave him there!” protested Hicera.

“We won’t!” snapped Oroba. “They caught us by surprise, but we can get Anon back. All we have to do is make an appeal to a lilim and work this out legally. As soon as the lilims see that Anon is upset, they’ll overturn his custody to us.”

“You do realize that you’ll be up against every legal professional in Tomb Haven, right?” said Nevkya.

“I never said it would be easy. Or quick… But it’s the only way that Admaz can take him back.” Said Oroba.

“Does Anon know about any of this?” asked Hicera.

“No. And I’d like to keep it that way. If word gets out that Anon is leaving Admaz, there may be… resistance. I already know that he would do something stupid; just like that whole titania fiasco.” Said Oroba. “For now, everything will be business as usual. Nevkya, you’ll need to assign extra protection for Anon in these coming days. And keep watch for Tomb Haven spies.”

Nevkya nodded.

“Everything else will be business as usual. I… will send the message to Petropa. Be ready, I expect that this will happen quickly.”

~~~~~~

Sumthin aint right…

It had taken you a few days to realize it, but there was treachery afoot. There were more guards posted along your normal routes than normal, and all of them looked anxious. You never really talked to them besides a greeting or salutation, but they quickly dismissed you when you asked them what was wrong.

“I know something’s happening. There’s twice as many guards as normal and you’re all armed to the teeth. What gives?” you asked a succubus.

“Nothing, Anon. Just get to class.” She said flatly.

The stern tone was jarring. You had come to expect every monster or person you met to be cordial and amicable after spending so much time in the monster realm.

Shrugging off your growing doubts, you continued to class. Whatever it was, you were sure that the College could handle it.

“Wow Anon, I didn’t expect to see you in class today.” Said the dark elf who sat behind you.

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Didn’t you hear? About the army that’s headed this way? That’s why there’s so few people here.” She explained.

“Army?”

“Yeah. From Tomb Haven. I can’t believe that they haven’t stuffed you into some bunker. Then again, I’m sure that would just make it easier for them to corner you~” she giggled.

“Well, what if they aren’t here for me?” you suggested.

“Anon, they’re here for you.” Interjected a nerdy succubus from one of the front rows. “Why in Lilith’s realms would an army of mamono from a friendly city-state march on our city if not to capture you?”

“…Trade disputes?” you offered hopefully.

The succ groaned and shook her head. “There’s no point in explaining this. You wouldn’t understand monster politics. Just make sure that none of us suffer for any of your poor decisions, alright?”

“Hey! I make great decisions!” you said.

“Like that time you told off the daughter of one of the most powerful vampire clans? The clan that owns most of Tomb Haven and is notorious for taking revenge on those who dare disrespect or oppose them?” said the dark elf with a smug grin.

“Ooh… that’s where I’ve heard that name before. That Emballa girl.” You said.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Muttered the succubus.

“I really hope you don’t expect to get out of this unmolested Anon.” said the dark elf. “I’m sure that ‘Emballa’ is going to do things to you that would make ME blush~”

“They’re bluffing right? They wouldn’t REALLY just drag me out of the city if I didn’t consent, right?” you said.

“Of course not.” Said the dark elf.

You relaxed a bit knowing that this was all just a display of force. All it would take was a half-assed apology and a lecture from Oroba and you would be free.

“I’m guessing that they’ll airlift you so that everyone can see and hear you as you’re screaming and begging for mercy.”

Fucking dark elves. You stood up and looked out the window. The fields around the city were still pristine and unoccupied. Perhaps it was a good idea to talk to Oroba before things got out of control. Again…

Aegoli entered the room and took attendance; almost half of your classmates had skipped the lecture.

~~~~~~

“Hello, I need to speak to the President.” You said to the secretary.

The succubus squirmed and adjusted the papers on her desk. “What do you need to ask her?”

“That’s personal. Is she in? I’ll just stick my head in and ask her. It won’t take more than a moment.”

“The President is very busy. Please fill out a formal inquiry or complaint form and your concern will be addressed at our earliest convenience. We thank you for your patience and hope you have a wonde-“

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT CANNED BULLSHIT!” you shouted. The succubus whimpered and clutched her tail. “I know that she’s in there! Why can’t I see her?! I’ve been up to this office for less and you’ve never hesitated to let me in before. What gives?” 

“T-the President is very busy, plea-“ she whispered.

“YOU JUST FUCKING TRIED THAT!”

“Please don’t yell!” she whined. “I’m just doing what I’m told. So don’t be mean.”

You swept past the desk and pounded on the double doors to Oroba’s office.

“Oroba! Please open up, it’s important! You know what this is about!”

“Anon stop! She’s in a meeting!” pleaded the succ.

“I promise this is more important than whatever is going on in there.” You said. Waiting a moment, you pounded again. On the second swing, your hand caught some kind of barrier. There was a sharp electrical sensation in your fingers, and you withdrew your tingling hand.

“Damnit, Oroba! Enough with the games! Let me in!” you demanded.

The ornate wooden doors remained shut. In a fit of frustration, you summoned a small amount of magic to your hands and punched the door. The energy caught the ward with a loud crackle and your arm shot back. The shock wave rustled papers in the lobby, but Oroba’s defenses remained unscathed.

Cursing you turned your attention back to the secretary. She slid out of her chair and hid under her desk as you approached.  
“How long is she going to be in there?” you asked.

“I don’t know!”

“Well how long has the meeting been going on?”

“An hour?” said the succ.

Before you could continue your interrogation, Oroba’s voice came in through the magical intercom.

“That’s quite enough, Anon. I’ll have to have a word with the rest of the faculty; clearly you’ve been spoiled by their good nature and patience.”

You hurried over to the doors and waited for them to open. The heavy doors swung inwards. Oroba sat at her desk with a scowl.  
“My manners aren’t important right now. Is it tr-“

You faltered as you saw the guest she was entertaining. Some sort of undead, in regal armor. The gaudy outfit would look more in place at a parade than on a battlefield. There must have been several pounds of gold trimming on the torso alone.

“Oh my…” said the woman easing herself out of her chair. “So THIS is the human I’ve heard so much about.”

She strode over to you with an unnerving confidence. The citizens of Admaz knew to keep away from you to avoid the guard protecting you, but this woman was fearless. You took a step back from her as she approached.

“Who are you?” you asked.

“Hmm? Are you talking to me? You’re here to see President Oroba no? You caused such a commotion trying to get in here a moment ago. She was so embarrassed that our meeting about you was interrupted, but I told her that it was no trouble and that she should let you in. After all, what you have to ask her must be VERY important~”

The woman moved around you and you stepped further into the office to get away from her.

“What is it, Anon.” growled Oroba.

“Why are you meeting about me?” you asked.

The buxom woman leaned over your shoulder. “Do you want to tell him? Or shall I?”

You glanced back at her and then to Oroba. She glared back at you. After a few seconds she looked down at her desk and sighed.  
“It would seem that… The College of Admaz may not be in custody of you very much longer…” said Oroba.

A chill ran down your spine as the knight giggled.

“What are you talking about?” you said.

“A group of Mages in Tomb Haven claim to have been the ones to summon you here. From the notes they provided, we are inclined to believe them at this time.” Said Oroba.

“They what? Oroba, I wasn’t summoned here. Whatever brought me here spat me out over a lake in the middle of the jungle and left me to die.” You said.

“A minor miscalculation.” Said the undead.

“Miscalculation?! I almost died, you maggoty bitch!” you said turning to face her.

Her piercing red eyes didn’t blink as she stared you down. “I’m sorry that you had to endure that. If you would just come with us, I’m sure that we can repay you with our hospitality.”

She offered an armored hand to you.

“No!” You said swatting her hand away. “Oroba, tell me that this doesn’t have anything to do with the army I’ve been hearing about.”

“It does.” She said curtly.

“Well don’t just let them take me! Can’t you do something? Isn’t there anyone who can stop them? They won’t do it without my consent, right?” you said taking a step towards Oroba’s desk.

“Doing things to men without their consent is what monsters do best, boy~” giggled the knight.

“I’m afraid not. Despite our time with you, the fact that they summoned you means that you are technically their charge. The laws regarding this matter are nonexistent; this is the first scenario of its kind. I’ve contacted the nearest lilim and have received a reply. Until this matter can be settled by a third party, I cannot help you.”

“I won’t just let myself be taken!”

“You won’t have a choice.”

Taking a step back you slump back into the chair. The undead woman placed her hands on your shoulders and started giving them a massage. You tried to wrench yourself away but she tightened her grip and pulled you back towards her.

“Please don’t make this any harder than it needs to be, Anon. If you just come quietly and behave yourself, it will go smoother for everyone. And the mamono I serve…” she leaned in to whisper in your ear. “… Are not monsters you should anger.”

“Can’t the town guard do anything?” you asked desperately.

“Town guard? Anon, it’s a fucking ARMY!” shouted Oroba. “We would be lucky to slow them down! We’re a college town, not a fortress.”  
“I know this is scary dear, but no harm will come to you. I can promise you that.” Said the knight.

“You mean besides the fact that I’ll vomit my soul out after I’m raped by someone I don’t love?”

The knight huffed. “My patience is wearing thin, Anon. This is happening with or without your consent. As an act of good faith, I’ll give you one day to say goodbye and collect your things. But don’t even think of abusing my hospitality.”

“Fuck you. Do you think I-“

“JUST TAKE THE DEAL, ANON!” screamed Oroba. “Do you not understand the gravity of this situation you spoiled brat?! There’s nothing we can do and you’re picking a fight with the people who are going to own you in a matter of hours! Have we been so doting that you’ve forgotten that there is danger in this world?!”

You floundered for words and found nothing to say. As much as you wanted to be mad, Oroba’s words held an uncomfortable amount of truth: you really had ignored the fact that the mamono of Admaz had broken their backs to keep you safe until now.

“Go collect your things. Don’t say goodbye to anyone. That will only make things harder.” Said Oroba.

You sat in the chair, uncertain of what to do.

“Go, Anon.”

With a gulp, you slowly walked to the door. Your feet felt like lead.

“And Anon…”

You turned to Oroba as you reached the door.

“… If you decide to run, we’ll hunt you down ourselves.” She said coldly.

You glared back at her, then the knight, and left the office.

~~~~~~

“What a charming man.” Said the wight taking a seat in the chair Anon had been sitting in. "I can't wait to see what kind of faces he'll make when Lady Petropa gets through with him~"

“Get out of my office.” Demanded Oroba.

“Very well, I’d say our business is concluded anyways. I just hope that he minds his manors, before someone minds them for him~” chuckled the wight. 

Oroba clenched her fists. The whole affair was going to be the biggest humiliation that the college had ever faced. An extra dimensional human, slipping through her fingers. Not only that, but Tomb Haven would surely rewrite history to claim that Admaz had stolen Anon from them. Those who knew the truth would know that Admaz gave him away as an appeasement.

As the wight passed through the doors, Oroba lashed out with her magic. She shoved the wight through and slammed the doors shut behind her.

The woman yelped and laughed. “I see where he gets that temper from!” called the undead from the other side of the door.

Oroba muffled the door with magic and pulled out a decanter of liquor. Pouring herself her first glass, she prayed that this nightmare didn’t get any worse.

~~~~~~

You hurried through the halls at a quick trot. Ignoring the mamono who called out to you, you tried to devise a plan to escape. No, escape was impossible. The mamono who were after you were faster, stronger, smarter, and actually knew where they were going. If you ran, there was a good chance you would die in the wilderness. Hell, you may even end up in Tomb Haven.

The more you considered the situation, the more apparent it became that you were going to Tomb Haven whether you liked it or not.  
Pausing at a stair landing, you listened to your heart race in panic. Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself. You were going to Tomb Haven, that was a fact. But that didn’t mean you were going to be staying there for long. If the encyclopedias were correct, and they had been so far, (mostly), something like a lilim or baphomet could use their clout to free you. And just because you were going didn’t mean you would have to go quietly.

No, if they were going to take you, they were going to be just as bruised and battered as you were.

Deviating from the path to your room, you hurry up the alchemy lab. You threw open the door to see Ergine stirring a small pot of sludge over a heating rune.

“Ergine! I need some potions.” You said.

The kesaran pasaran cocked her head. “Huh? A-alright what do you need?”

“Everything you can spare. I’ve got a long day ahead of me.


	24. Chapter 24

As you stuffed your belongings into a suitcase, you wondered to yourself if this was really the same world that you had read about in the encyclopedia. This whole world, dimension, reality, whatever the hell it was seemed to me much more troublesome than it had been made out to be. The second Magnara had explained what the world was like you figured that you would be cuddling up to the love of your life in a matter of days. Yet here you are, months later, bereft of waifu and sorely lacking the conveniences of twenty-first century Earth living.

There was a knock at your door. “Anon, it’s time.”

Shutting the last of your clothing away, you took a deep breath. The future certainly seemed grim. As it stood, you were about to be forced into slavery by the vampire that you had publicly humiliated. You were unsure if she knew about your allergy to demonic energy, or if she even cared. It would be a shock to no one if you spent the rest of your life (or unlife) shackled to her basement wall being drained of semen and blood on a daily basis. No, she would let you out eventually. Still, it wasn’t the kind of thing you wanted to look back and laugh about.

Opening the door, an entire contingent of guards pressed against the walls to allow you to pass through.  
What none of the guards or undead knew was that your “carry on” was filled to the brim with potions courtesy of Ergine. Stamina enhancers, magic boosters, herbal supplements… you had it all. You may be as good as raped, but you’d be damned if the world didn’t know that you were not a fan of this decision.

The procession hurried down the stairs to the ground floor. A few undead in full armor joined your entourage without a word. Clearly Tomb Haven had a bigger budget for armor and weapons than Admaz.

As you exited the college into the streets, the guards closed in around you. Muscular shoulders jostled you about as you clung to your secret weapon.

Mamono from the town gathered to watch you pass. The guards shouted down any who dared approach you for a better look. Two Tomb Haven guards slipped their arms under yours and began to drag you forwards. You struggled to keep pace with them as they ushered you towards the main gate.

Looking out over the wall of Admaz, it became clear that Oroba was not underestimating Tomb Haven. A sea of undead soldiers sprawled out in the area around the gate. They formed a path to a caravan of carts and wagons, which you assumed would be your transportation. You didn’t know enough about monster politics to determine if the army was a display of force, or if they really felt the need to send hundreds of monsters to secure you.

As your decent down the hill neared its conclusion, you began to work one of the focus rings on your hands loose. Kneading and twisting, the band loosened as you approached the gate.

“What are you doing?” asked one of the guards carrying you. She flipped up her visor to get a better view of your hand wringing. A ghoul, as far as you could tell.

“Nothing, I’m just nervous.” You said.

“I know those rings are enchanted; we all read the report on you. I don’t know what you expect to do by fiddling with it like that, but I don’t like it. Just stay quiet and don’t touch it until you’re in the carriage, got it?” she growled.

Fuck. She was sharper than you thought.

The guards shouted at the monsters blocking the gate. The crowd parted as you passed through and you passed outside of Admaz for what may be the last time. Looking over your shoulder, you saw the makings of a mob pressing against the town guard. They looked as unhappy with your eviction as you were.

“Eye’s forward.” Said the ghoul.

A wall of zombies stretched forwards on either side of you. Now or never.

Ripping your right arm free of the other Tomb Haven guard dragging you, you threw her aside with a blast of magic. 

“NO!” shouted the ghoul in a terrifying mix of frustration and rage.

Using telekenisis to pull the focus ring off your right hand, you blasted her away with a more powerful blast from your ring-less right hand. Slamming the ground, you sent a shockwave through the earth to stun the other guards. They dropped to the ground in a cacophony of clanking metal and panicked shouts. Dropping your bag to the ground, you threw open the clasps and began downing brews with reckless abandon.

~~~~~~~

“Ufufu… There’s my prize now, Goeth.” Said Emaballandae. She licked her lips as she watched Anon being dragged out of the city, stumbling and staggering in the arms of her guards. “Not so smug now, you fucking ingrate.”

“He’s not here yet, milady.” Said Goeth.

Emaballandae huffed and lowered her telescope. “You really know how to kill the mood, you know that? The daughter of your master is about to triumph over her foe and condemn him to a life of servitude and suffering, as is fit for a worm of his stature, and you can’t even smile for me.”

“I’m sorry milady, I didn’t mean to belittle the significance of the event. I’m simply implying that until he is secured in the carriage that something may happen.” Said Goeth.

“You worry too much. Anon is a commoner, plain and simple. And, like all other lower-class peasants, will happily submit to a noble who can rule over them and raise them out of barbarity. He’ll be licking my boots clean in a few days, mark my words.” Said Emballandae. “But I hope he doesn’t crack TOO soon. I’d like to break him first, you know? It’d be kind of a let down if he just gave up and started worshiping me. He should be as humiliated as I was when he rejected me. At least. Preferably more. Say Goeth, do you know where mamma keeps all the torture equipment?”

“Mmhmm.” hummed Goeth softly. Her eyes were fixed on the squad of guards around Anon.

“Hey! Are you listening?” said Emballandae. “I’m talking to you! What are you looking at that could possibly be more important tha-“  
Emaballandae’s admonishment fell short as a boom echoed across the field.

“What the-“

Raising her telescope, she focused on the platoon escorting her fiancé. She focused just in time to see Anon blast away the second guard holding him. With another blast, he forced away the other guards.

“What the hell is he thinking?! Is he blind? He’s completely surrounded! There’s no way he can escape.” Muttered Emballandae.

“I’ll go stop him.” Said Goeth.

“No! I want to see the hope drain from his eyes as he realizes it’s hopeless.” Said the vampire. “This will also be a good demonstration of how strong he is; I can’t risk weak seed perverting my ancient and powerful bloodline.”

“Milady…” said Goeth.

“Enough! Just sit here with me and watch this unfold. I don’t want you leaving my side unless I say so.”

Goeth sighed and slumped back against her chair. Emballandae had insisted on bringing luxurious chairs to ‘make an impression’ on Anon. At least it was comfy. Goeth leaned back into the chair and tried to tune out Emballandae as she started to narrate the battle.

~~~~~

It only took a few seconds for the zombies to shake off their stupor and close in on you. Thankfully, they were zombies. The army seemed much less intimidating now that you knew their ‘soldiers’ took a whole minute to stand back up if they so much as tripped. Mages from the back lines began to move forwards with soldiers that could move faster than a trot. Shoving away the zombies, you wade through the morass to meet them halfway. It was a delicate operation; you didn’t really want to hurt any of the zombies, but they were in your way. And it wasn’t as if they felt pain or anything.

Blocking a bolt of energy, you felt a tingle surge through your body. You hadn’t realized it with all the commotion, but you were sporting an impressive stiffy as you continued your rampage. The air was getting hot and heavy. Opening the front of your shirt for more airflow was the only sane thing to do in this situation. As you tore open the buttons, you realized that the zombie standing next to you was actually pretty cute. With those big sad eyes, those soft kissable lips, that wispy dry hair…

Wait, no.

Shit… maybe you should have read the dosage instructions on those bottles. Your stomach churned and a cramp seized your sides. You coughed into your elbow and saw the telltale flecks of black goo: mana poisoning. Something you had taken was either tainted or not safe for you to drink. Time was running out faster than you had anticipated.

Surging forwards, you lay into the wall of wards the mages erected.

~~~~~~

“Woah… Woah! Oh shit, did you see that Goeth?! He just threw like twenty zombies with that one.” Said Emballandae.

“I can see it, milady.” Said Goeth.

“He’s really kicking ass out there. Hey, I can see his dick!”

Goeth watched as the telescope drooped a few inches.

“Nice…”

“Mildady, do you really think this is a good idea? We were advised by the unicorn to prevent things like this from happening. He’s going to deplete his mana reserves and get sick.” Said Goeth.

“He’ll be fine. Look at him go!” said Emballandae.

Anon tore open his shirt. Emballandae bit her lip and refocused her telescope. Suddenly the collar of her dress felt a little tight.

“He’s heading this way…”

“For fuck’s sake Goeth, he’s one human. A human! There’s no chance of him escaping.” Said Emballandea. We’ve got a whole contingent of mages out there. Once he runs into them he’ll wear himself out and we’ll scoop him up.” She said, giving the wight a condescending smirk.

There was a loud boom as Anon clashed with the mages. The casters formed a wall in front of him to prevent him from advancing.

“Yes, yes! Let me see that look of despair as you lose hope~” said Emballandea.

With a thunderous shout, Anon pressed through the left flank of the ward wall and tossed the weakest caster aside. The rest of the mages failed reposition themselves and prevent him from charging past them.

“Damnit! What the fuck are they feeding him?! I don’t even know where this dumbass is heading at this point…” muttered Emballandae.

“The same place he’s always been heading: to us.” Said Goeth unseating herself from the chair.

“Us? Why would he come here? We’re the ones trying to capture him.”

“I suppose he thinks that if he can defeat you, the army will leave.”

“Me?! What? Why me?” said the vampire.

“You’re technically the highest ranking monster here. It’s easy to see who’s in charge when they’re sitting in luxury chairs while the army fights.” Said Goeth.

Emballandae squirmed in her chair.

“…And I’m also guessing that he’s ROYALLY pissed off that you’ve come to rip him away from the friends and life that he’s made here in Admaz.”

“No way. He’s probably trying to slow the army down by doing some fancy maneuvering or something.”

A dullahan with a crossbow managed to sink a shot into Anon’s shoulder. Emballandae leaned forward in her chair to see his face. He looked up across the battlefield at her position.

“CHIROPTAAAAAA!!!”

The scream was enough to make Emballandae flinch. Anon blasted away the circling soldiers and made a beeline towards her carriage.

“VICCY’S TITS! GOETH, DO SOMETHING!!” shrieked Emballandae as the flashes of blue light grew closer.

Goeth ignored her and leapt down from the carriage. This show had already gone on long enough. Anon was making the army of Tomb Haven look bad. Granted that it wasn’t the finest the city had to offer, but the fiasco would still reflect poorly on her leadership as Marshall of the force. 

Wrapping her arms in spectral claws, she sallied forth to confront Anon.

~~~~~

How many of these corpses were there damnit! It felt like you had been doing this for hours.

Throwing aside another squad of knights you trudged onwards. The erection in your pants refused to abate, and the bravado you had at the beginning of the fight was slipping away. Every muscle in your body burned. The women around you were becoming more beautiful by the second, and your vision was starting to get hazy. Why were you doing this again?

A hand seized your shoulder and you pulled away from it. One of the silver bolts in your shoulder sent a chill through your body. 

It would be so much easier to stop, but there was something in that carriage that you needed to get to. What was it? A person? It must be someone you loved; that’s why you felt this way.

Hands were grabbing your arms as you pushed through the mob. Throwing away the people in your path you closed in on the carriage. No one would stop you from reaching it!

“Stand aside! Let me handle this!”

The wall of weapons parted, and you staggered forwards.

“Oh Anon… What have you done to yourself?”

The words were faint and garbled. You dimly registered that the person standing in front of you was talking to you, but you shuffled past her.

As you passed, you felt a tendril of magic wrap around you. With a roar of frustration you broke free of the bind. You were so close! Why wouldn’t they leave you alone?! Reaching back you attempted to punch the offender.

“Calm down!”

There was a flash of light and your head snapped to the side. The impact made your ears ring and your vision spotty. You raised your left arm and gave a feeble retort to the blow. The blurry figure in front of you redirected the blast to the side and shoved you back. You let out a grunt as you landed on your back. The blue sky stretched out in front of you. Clouds stared down at you from overhead. Where were you again? What was happening? You didn’t feel so good…

A shadow blocked out the light as you watched the day pass.

“Is that all? Are you done yet?”

Fuck off, stop blocking my sun…

The fact that someone would try to bother you when you weren’t feeling well made you angrier than you had any right to be. Your vision greyed and the world swam as you felt the last of your energy slide into your right palm.

Before you could teach the offender a lesson, a glowing hand reached down and pressed into your chest.

“Yeah. You’re done.”

A breeze blew away the words being spoken around you as you nestled into the warm grass.

~~~~~~~

“Is he dead?” asked Emballandae from behind a zombie.

“No, but he doesn’t look good…” mused Goeth.

Emballandae crept over to the human and nudged his hand with her boot. Goeth slapped the back of her head.

“Ow! You dare…!”

“Don’t poke him like that! He’s in no condition to be prodded, look at him!”

Sure enough, he looked a bit less hale than when Emballandae had last seen him. He was spattered with mud and black goo, which was oozing from his mouth. Veins near the surface of his skin had taken on a squalid grey color. His bloodshot, glassy eyes stared into space as the army milled around him.

“Are you sure he isn’t dead?” said Emballandae.

“Yes.” Said Goeth. She picked up the unconscious human and rested his head on her shoulder. Supporting his waist with one arm and his torso with the other, she made sure not to put any undue pressure on his organs as she carried him to the carriage.

“Wait! I wanna carry him!” whined Emballandae.

“What? Ma’am, with all due respect, I don’t think you ca-“

“I want to! Mama said he’s mine so I get to carry him! You don’t get a say in this.” Said the vampire.

Goeth noticed her blushing and decided that Anon would just have to endure whatever happened next. It would be better in the long run if Emballandae’s raging jealousy didn’t enter the equation.

As gently as she could, Goeth gently deposited the sleeping man into her arms.

“Ergmf! Ah…” Emballandae struggled to find a good place to grip. Not only was she weaker than Goeth, but she was considerably smaller than the person that she was trying to carry. As she tried to grab the back of his open shirt, Anon's arms slipped out of the sleeves and he collapsed into the dirt.

“AAGH! Fuck!” shouted Emballandae. She lifted his head up and attempted to hoist him over her shoulder. Slowly feeding more and more of Anon over her shoulder with little shimmies, his body slid behind her as his center of gravity dragged her back. With a yelp, the small vampire fell back onto him. “Eww, why is he erect? Humans are so gross…” whined Emballandae.

Goeth began to wonder if this constituted enough of a threat to Anon to overrule Emballandae's orders.

At last Emballandae managed to grab hold of Anon’s waist band and chest. With his legs and head hanging to either side of her, she waddled towards the carriage as sweat poured off her brow. Her face contorted into a determined grimace as she huffed wheezed. It took more than ten minutes and a break to get the body all the way to the carriage door.

Goeth opened the door and helped Emballandae stuff Anon into one of the benches. He slumped to the side, his head resting at a painful angle against the wall. The Marshal propped him up and draped his shirt over him.

Emballandae plopped down next to the wight and covered her face with an arm while she caught her breath.

“Go… go tell Lussazan that we have… Anon.” she said.

Goeth offered her one of the monogrammed handkerchiefs from a compartment bellow the seat. Climbing out of the carriage, she signaled for the troops to begin moving out. Giving a wisp a signal, the glowing mamono began to use her flames to relay a message to the lich and her husband.

A few minutes later, the wagons began to roll forwards with the army in tow.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” Said Emballandae.

Goeth ignored her and watched the world begin to move outside the carriage.

~~~~~~

“The human is in our possession, ma’am.” Said a doppleganger to the lich.

Lussazan covered her eyes to block the rays of light entering her private car. Dismounting her husband, she used her magic to clean herself of semen before donning her cloak.

“I shall return soon, dear.” Said the Lussazan. “I must ensure that the subject has not harmed himself.”

Her husband nodded. “I understand. His safety is our top priority. I’ll be alright if you’re gone for a while; don’t neglect him because you want to spend time with me, okay?”

Lussazan fidgeted in the carriage door and nodded.

“I will be brief.”

“Don’t be brief, be thorough.” Chided her husband.

“I will do both.”

They smiled at each other and Lussazan floated out of the car. The army had stopped for the night and were setting up camp as the sun fell below the horizon.

The soldier led her to the tent at the center of the camp where Lussazan’s field laboratory was housed.

Goeth and Emballandae were already inside with Anon resting on a cot in the center of the tent. Assistants scurried around the edge of the shelter tending to beakers and taking notes on the congruent experiments that Lussazan was running.

Emballandae perked up as Lussazan entered. “It’s about time! Where were you?” demanded the vampire.

“Busy.” Replied Lussazan.

“Busy?! Look at this guy, he’s practically dead!”

“The report Marshal Goeth sent indicated that he was not in any grave danger.” Said Lussazan setting herself down next to Anon’s cot.  
“Incredible…” she whispered.

She tentatively reached out to run her hands down Anon’s arm. “To think I would ever see the day…”

“Are you going to fix him or not?” said Emballandae.

Lussazan glared at her. “You have no idea what his very presence means. He is the culmination of DECADES of work. My whole life has led to this moment. He will be healed in time, but for now be silent and let me work.”

Emballandae made the prudent choice not to exacerbate the fight and sat back in her chair with a huff as Lussazan began to inspect his body.

Pages of Hicera’s notes swirled around the lich as she crosschecked them and made adjustments as needed. She grunted in annoyance as she traced one of his grey veins.

“I thought I made it clear during the briefing that he was not to be exposed to any excess mamono mana during the acquisition.” Said Lussazan.

“He did that to himself!” protested Emballandae.

“Yes, I heard about the potions that he had hidden. What I’m wondering is how he had them in the first place and why he was not stopped IMMEDIATELY after he consumed them.”

“We can only assume that he received them from an ally in the college. The guards were too pressed for time to do an inspection of his bag and forewent screening in favor of avoiding a mob.” Said Goeth.

“And the rampage? I know that you are capable of subduing this man singlehandedly, Marshal.” Said Lussazan.

Goeth looked over at Emballandae. The vampire glanced from the lich to the wight before turning back to Goeth with a look of betrayal.  
“It was… a… tactical decision to lower his mana reserves and make him easier to subdue without causing him excess physical harm.” Said Emballandae.

Lussazan looked from her to the dirt-caked, bruised, and scraped body on the cot.

“The genius of the Chiropta family shines again…” she sighed.

“Oh, shut up. You said it yourself he’s fine.” Said Emballandae.

“I said he wasn’t in grave danger. He certainly isn’t healthy…” said Lussazan. She took out a small scalpel and made a small incision on his arm. Using tiny test tubes, she collected samples and handed them to her assistants to process. Emballandae watched wide eyed as they passed around the blood.

“Hey, let me have some.” She said.

“No.”

“What? Come on, just a little taste.”

“No.”

“He’s MY property! You answer to MY mother, and she said I could have him! You overstep your bounds, lich. You don’t have a say in this matter.” Said Emballandae rising to her feet.

Lussazan levitated away and conjured two spectral fireballs in her hands. “If you so much as touch him without my permission I will take ANY steps necessary to protect him.”

Emballandae took a step back. “Mamma said I-“

“Your mother’s orders will forever and always be less important than his life.” Boomed the lich.

“Milady, please! He’s too weak! Just be patient.” Pleaded Goeth.

Emballandae gulped and sat back down. “Fine! I suppose I can wait if you’re really that upset.” She said.

Lussazan dissipated the fire and set herself back down.

“I agreed that you would have claim over him. In time, when he is strong enough, you will. For now, let me work.”

Emballandae didn’t say another word as Lussazan began to prepare medicines from Hicera’s notes.

~~~~~~~

You awoke to the sound of a rolling carriage and the bumps of the road. You started when you realized that you were in an unfamiliar location.

“Oh!”

You twisted to see Emballandae and the wight from before on the bench opposite you.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to get up.” Said the vampire. “I thought that it would be sooner considering how many tonics that Lussazan dumped into you.”

You tried to use your magic, but a searing pain in your wrists halted your attempt.

“Don’t bother. The first thing Lussazan did after making sure you were healthy was slap those irons on you.”

Rolling back your sleeves, you found two iron shackles covering your wrists.

“Ufufu… Looks like you’re finally understanding the position you’re in. I’ll have to punish you for your insurrection back there though~ Hmm, perhaps I’ll-“

You cut off the blood-sucker mid-sentence with a lunge. Her bodyguard was faster, pinning you against the wall before you could lay a hand on Emballandae.

“What the fuck! Why are you so ornery all the time?!” said Emballandea.

“Fuck you, you glorified leech!” you gasped.

The wight slammed you against the wall again.

“Anon, it’s time to give up. The whole ‘resistance of the inevitable’ was cute at first, but my patience has run out. So behave or I’ll just drain you until we reach Tomb Haven.” Said Goeth.

She let go of your throat and you slumped back down onto the seat.

“Honestly. The best thing you could do for yourself right now is to be respectful and just do whatever Lady Petropa asks of you.” Chided the wight.

“Who?” you croaked.

“Lady Petropa von Chiropta. The closest thing Tomb Haven has to a queen.” Said Goeth.

“You hear that, human? My mother has enough sway to march an army over here at the drop of a hat. If you work hard to please me I may just forgive you.” Said Emballandae.

“What the hell does she even want from me?” you asked Goeth.

“I can’t say. All that I know is that you were part of a VERY expensive experiment, and promised to Emballandae.” Said Goeth.  
“An experiment?”

“Yes, I’m not sure what the details are. The whole thing was kept secret. I can tell you one thing: the cost was astronomical. From what I’ve heard, it began more than sixty years ago.”

“Sixty?”

“Indeed. I’m not certain what your purpose is, or what role you were cast to play in all of this, but there are powerful forces at work, Anon.” said Goeth.

“Really? They must be somewhere else; all I see is her.” You said waving to Emballandae.

“Keep talking, Anon. Every quip is another torture I’ll inflict on you!” threatened the vampire.

You began to argue while Goeth tried to keep the peace. The carriage trundled on towards the dark horizon and your destination: Tomb Haven.


	25. Chapter 25

The trip to Tomb Haven couldn’t be over fast enough. It was bad enough that you had been ousted from your home, and worse that you were now trapped in a small confined space with a whiny, woman-child of a vampire.

“A peasant’s place is at her mistress’s feet! How many times do I have to tell you that? They love the sense of purpose and protection that servitude grants them.” Said Emballandae.

“You’re out of your mind! Those ‘peasants’ are people too you know. You want to know what happened to tyrants like you in my world?” you said.

Emballandae gave you a quizzical look. “No…?”

“Could you two stop arguing for TEN FUCKING SECONDS?!” snapped Goeth.

You decided that it would be prudent to avoid another draining and shut up. 

The plains that stretched out around Admaz had given way to rolling hills filled with forests and streams. Every day the caravan passed one or two settlements. They never looked to be more than a few dozen people at most. Some were clearly agricultural towns, others showed no clear sign of a specific industry. The towns were your sole reprieve from the monotony of Emballandae’s bragging and whining. Looking out the window could only entertain you for so long.

“Just how far away is Tomb Haven anyways?” you asked.

“It should only be two more days. We’ve taken a less direct approach to the city to discourage any pursuers.” Said Goeth.

“Monsters won’t be thrown off by taking the back roads, you’ve got a whole army out there. All it takes is a glance at the ground to see which way you went.” You said.

“We have geomancers fixing the ground behind us, and mages masking your essence. Sure, one could ask one of the locals for directions, but they know the price for betraying us.” Said Goeth.

“Betraying you? Are you saying that all these towns we’ve passed are Tomb Haven property?”

“No. They simply know that if we were to lose you that we would be VERY upset. This ‘army’ is more like a militia. The proper army of Tomb Haven is still recovering from an… accident.” Said Goeth.

“You mean a war? I thought mamono wiped the floor with Order forces.” You said.

“It wasn’t a war. Forget I said anything, I’m sure you’ll get the answers you need in Tomb Haven.” Said Goeth.

Even though you had no chance of escape, they still refused to tell you anything meaningful about your situation. Watching the world go by, you rested your head against the window and tried to nap.

~~~~~~~

“Anon, come on. We’re making camp for the night.” Said Goeth.

You straightened up and adjusted your stiff neck. You hadn’t slept, but at least Emballandae had the courtesy to not disturb you while you were resting.

Emballandae hurried out of the carriage and ran to your door. Throwing it open, she flourished her cape and offered you a hand to help you down.

“I don’t nee-“

You faltered as Goeth glared at you and summoned a glowing sheath around one of her index fingers. The hand was conveniently hidden from the other mamono, who had gathered around the carriage to watch the spectacle. You took Emballandae’s hand and stepped down onto the ground. She squeezed hard, and subtly rubbed her thumb over the top of your hand. What a weirdo.

“Ufufu… Good to see you finally learning your place, human.” Said Emballandae loudly.

You grit your teeth and followed her as the crowd parted for the vampire.

Making your way to the center of camp, Emballandae and Goeth entered a large tent emanating a sulfurous smell.

“Lussazan! I’ve brought the human as you requested.” Said Emballandae. Her tone hinted that this was a more casual relationship, and that Emballandae wasn’t looking to impress this monster like the ones outside.

A lich floated through the cloud of haze past Emballandae. Setting herself down in front of you, she gaze dup at you with deep purple eyes.

“Finally awake I see.” She said.

You were taken aback by her flat and familiar tone. “Do we know each other?”

“We have never been introduced.” Said the lich. 

She used her magic to bring several vials down from a shelf. “I need you to ejaculate in this vial, spit into this one, and bleed into this one.” She said slowly. 

Incredible. You never knew it was possible to be so condescending with a monotone.

“Excuse me?” you said indignantly.

“I need you to ejaculate in this one…” she began more slowly than before.

“No, no, no. Who the hell ARE you? And why are you trying to harvest my bodily fluids?” you asked.

“I am Lussazan. My titles are numerous. Suffice it to say, I am the head scientist in Tomb Haven.” Said the lich. She waved her hand and a gob of saliva shot out of your mouth into the vial. She gave it a swirl and sent it off towards the back of the tent.

“What the fuck lady?!” you cried clasping your mouth.

“If you do not comply, force will be exercised.” Said Lussazan matter-of-factly.

“Fuck…”

You sat down on a nearby cot and asked for some help getting the blood sample. You weren’t sure how that would be extracted by force, but the thought of having your veins torn open made you shudder. Lussazan felt around your elbow joint for a proper vein and quickly extracted a syringe full of blood. Emballandae licked her lips as the plunger pulled out the viscous, crimson liquid.

“Don’t even think about it, bitch.” You said. Magic started to flow to your hands instinctively, and the shackles on your wrists warmed. You took a deep breath and tried to keep your fear and anger in check.

“Interesting…” murmured the lich. She waved a hand over your wrist irons and a series of runes glowed.

Lussazan scribbled down some notes and sent you off to go fill the last vial. Beating your meat in a camp full of mamono would probably be a death sentence under normal circumstances. Thankfully, Lussazan kept your ‘scent’ contained within the screen where you did your business. The whole act only took a minute thanks to the permanent half-chub that you had just by existing in a demon realm and the embargo on masturbation that Hicera had imposed to help prevent mana poisoning.

Lussazan took the flask and handed you a cloth to wipe yourself off. As you exited the screen, she took the towel back and threw it into a nearby incineration bin.

“Something smells good, what are they cooking over there?” asked someone from outside the tent. Stay classy, mamono.

“Now what?” you asked.

“The samples will be processed. You will remain here until then.” Commanded Lussazan.

She floated back into the smog to begin working at a science bench in the center.

“Hey,” you asked Goeth. “Who is she?”

“Lussazan. She may be a bit brusque, but she’s indisputably brilliant. She’s been the head of the Chiropta family’s science team for decades.” Said the wight quietly.

“The Chiropta’s have a science team?” you asked.

“Yours didn’t?” interjected Emballandae smugly.

“Not just any science team, THE science team. The Chiropta family have their wings in everyone’s sunlight, but a sizeable portion of that wealth goes to researching new magic and technology.”

“Have their wings in everyone’s sunlight?” you wondered aloud.

“Oh, that probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to a human from a world with no fliers… It just means that they have a stake in every sector of industry in the undead realm.”

“And they use the money to fund scientific advances to stay on top.” You said.

“No. Not in the way you’re thinking of. The Chiropta family really does care for the mamono in their stead. The creations the fund have done wonders for the quality of life for monsters that would otherwise be doomed to poverty.” Said Goeth.

“Is that how you got an army to come after me on a moment’s notice?” you asked.

Goeth sighed. “I know this is hard for you to understand, but to the undead the Chiropta’s are heroes. It isn’t just science, they commission art, architecture, infrastructure, agriculture… They’re good, respectable people.”

“Who kidnapped me.” You said.

“That’s because you’re my property.” Corrected Emballandae.

Goeth scowled at her and the vampire pursed her lips.

“I know how it seems, and… I may not agree with the ethics of this decision… but I think that if you can learn to look past the arrogance and pretentiousness, you’ll see them for the kind-hearted souls they are.” Said Goeth.

“Hey!” said Emballandae.

“I’m just not convinced that someone who calls another sentient being ‘property’ is someone whom I want to respect.” You said.  
Goeth squirmed. You tried to look her in the eye, but she turned away.

“Of course you’re property, you’re a human. Unlike some other mamono, we vampires take care to choose only the finest mates and elevate them into higher beings before we lay with them.” Said Emballandae.

You looked at Goeth again who was doing her best to inspect a random page of scientific notes and ignore your leer.

Lussazan returned from her bench to save the Marshall from getting caught between her loyalties and her morals.

“The human is still healthy. You may take him away.” She said. Without waiting for a response, she floated back to her work.

“Well, you heard the lady. Let’s get the two of you to bed.” Said Goeth quickly. She pushed you and Emballandae through the tent flaps and into the camp.

~~~~~~

Though you couldn’t stand Emballandae’s company, your spite didn’t keep you from enjoying the perks of being the plaything of a plutocrat. While the rest of the army slept on raggedy cots sheltered by ancient cloth, you and your ‘mistress’ resided in something more like a circus tent. The massive structure had more square feet than a small house. Braziers burned slowly to keep the interior lit and heated. Emballandae had stocked the room with an assortment of wardrobes, desks, art, mirrors, papers, crates, a screen hiding a small bathing area, and mannequins. The amenities made the cluttered space look more like a warehouse than a luxury shelter.

Emballandae yawned as you stood in the doorway gawking at your new quarters.

“Anon, I’m going to take a bath and go to sleep. I suggest you do the same. It’s been more than a day since you’ve bathed, and you humans smell bad enough already.” She said with a dismissive wave as she strode over to the screen. 

It was too late in the day to come up with a witty retort. All you wanted was a bath to get rid of this grimy feeling and a nice bed to sleep in. Preferably one that didn’t contain a bloodsucking-womanlet, but you didn’t have a say in that matter. You inspected some of the containers and dressers while Emballandae hummed in the bath. 

The nightwear that Emballandae had placed over the screen slid over the side and she reemerged in a tantalizing piece of lingerie. On Earth, you would have been lucky to have a woman wear something so daring for your birthday. But here, such a garment set must be regarded as classy and empowering.

“Can’t keep your eye’s off me hmm?~” taunted the vampire.

You sighed and brushed past her to get to the bath. Draining the water down a small pipe that slipped under the tent to the outside, you refilled the basin with hot water and cleaned yourself off. Without insulation or more hot water, the bath quickly became tepid. Giving your face one last scrub, you slipped out of the tub and dried yourself off.

Donning your pajamas, you shuffled over to the large bed Emballandae occupied. She had taken the center, ensuring that you would be forced to have some bodily contact with her no matter which side of the bed you took. Lifting the sheets behind her, you tried to slide into the big spoon position. You still had your dignity as a man after all.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Emballandae as she wrenched the covers from your hand.

“I thought-“

“You sleep in THAT bed.” She said.

You hadn’t seen it, but there was indeed another small bed next to Emballandae’s. It was some bizarre hybrid of a cot and a bed; a mattress supported by a foldable camping frame.

Without a word you slid under the wool blanket and closed your eyes. Removing your amulet of articulation, you set it next to your shoes and closed your eyes. Emballandae extinguished the lights in the tent with a wave of magic and adjusted herself under her covers.  
“Hey Anon…” said Emballandae quietly.

You really weren’t in the mood for sleepover talk. You gave a confirmatory grunt.

{What were weddings like in your world?}

“I can’t understand you. I don’t have the thing on. Go to sleep.” you said.

{Oh, right. I forgot you can’t talk without that thing. You better not say anything mean to me in your language, or else I’ll find out.}

You had no idea what she was saying, but it seemed like she had dropped whatever she wanted to talk about. As her breathing slowed, you fell asleep to the sounds of her gentle snoring.

~~~~~~

Camp was broken with a speed you would have thought to be impossible for an army of zombies. By the time you had finished breakfast, the final tents were being torn down and loaded up onto the wagons.

Lussazan collected another set of ‘samples’ and you were off again.

~~~~

“Your language is strange, Anon.” said Emballandae.

Figures. Not an hour into the trip and she was already picking a fight.

“Oh? Is it? I’ve actually never heard him say anything in his native tongue.” Said Goeth.

“You haven’t? It’s all high pitched and nasally. But sometimes he just speaks from the throat or the chest all of a sudden. Sometimes it switches in the middle of the same word!” said Emballandae.

“I knew that it had those fluctuations, but is it really that varied? Some of the literature published about him gave some examples of words he uses, but I imagine the difference between reading something and hearing it are completely different. Hey Anon…” said Goeth with an excited grin.

“Yes?” you asked.

“Can you say something in your language for me?” she asked.

“What?”

“Please?” she asked again. It was clear this woman was married; that was a professional pout. The angle of the head, the big sad eyes, those big kissable lips sticking out ever so slightly… No man on earth could say no to that face. No doubt Goeth got what she wanted whenever she wanted.

“Fine…” you muttered. “What do you want me to say?”

“Hmm…” Goeth’s face scrunched as she tried to think of something.

“What do you call the color of your eyes?” interjected Emballandae.

“Blue.” You said flatly.

“No! I mean in your language!” said Emballandae.

You slipped off the amulet. “Blue.”

Both girls giggled and laughed.

{Bluh!}

{No, no, it’s Bluweh}

{Hah! That’s not it at all!}

You slipped the amulet back on and waited for them to finish.

“I’m sorry Anon, it’s just such a strange noise.” Said Goeth with a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, just one syllable. Like a grunt. Blugh.” Said Emballandae.

“Mm-hmm.” You said.

“Sorry, sorry. I won’t laugh anymore. I promise.” Said Goeth. “Umm… How do humans say ‘I love you’ in your language?”

You took the amulet back off. “I love you.”

Both monsters oohed and began to practice.

{Ah luff gyou}

{No, no, the first part is sharper. Ay luff hyou.}

{Is it two parts or three? The way he says it makes the first bit slur together.}

{It’s three. I read it in one of the pamphlets.}

{Anon, can you say it again?}

They looked at you intently. Goeth waved her hand in a circle, asking for you to continue.

“What do you want me to say it again?”

The undead gave you a confused look and looked back at each other.

“Again?” you repeated, making the same hand motion.

They smiled and nodded.

“I love you.”

{Iluff eeyu} strained Goeth.

{Oh! That sounded pretty close!}

{You think? I don’t know if I have that first part down…}

{Spread it out. I, luhv, eeyou}

“That was good, the best one yet. Some of the sounds of my language don’t transfer over to yours very well.”

Goeth and Emballandae stared at you. Slipping on the necklace, you repeated your compliment.

“Very impressive, little mistress! I’m sure that you’ll be speaking his language in no time!” said Goeth.

“Indeed! Soon I will be the only mamono in all the realms who can converse with Anon in his native tongue.” Gloated Emballandae.

“Actually, the succubus scholar and her husband are fairly fluent in {English}.” You said.

“Huh?”

“It’s a long story, but they’re the ones who saved me and helped me get into the mamono realms. Magnara, the succubus, penned most of the articles and pamphlets on me and my culture.” You said.

Emballandae drooped. “Oh…”

Goeth scowled at you. She looked over at the vampire and tilted her head towards her.

“…But that doesn’t mean she knows everything.” You said. Goeth relaxed a bit.

“Oh? What do you mean?” asked Emballandae.

“Well, it would take years to document my whole culture. And with practice you can surpass her in mastery of my language. She only has a few months of experience on you.” You said.

“A few months? That’s nothing! I will become the preeminent scholar on all matters of {Earsh} culture and language!” said Emballandae. Goeth gave you a subtle nod. Good save.

“…And you shall teach me!”

“Huh?”

“Yes, Anon. Through you I will learn about your strange world. None shall surpass me in the field of alien anthropology!” said Emballandae raising a clenched fist.

You looked at Goeth. Goeth looked out the window. Traitor.

Emballandae leaned out the window of the carriage and told one of the knights riding along side to bring her a stack of parchment and a quill. The rider returned in a moment with a hefty stack of stationary.

“Now then…” said Emballandae folding out a tray from the wall panel of the carriage. She dipped her quill in the ink well and placed the first piece of many on the tray. “Let’s start with the colors.”

~~~~~~

Is this what kindergarten teachers went through? Never again would you say that elementary school teachers were underpaid.  
“This is stupid! I hate this dumb language!” said Emballandae crumpling another sheet of paper and throwing it out of the carriage.  
“Don’t call my language stupid!” you said.

“It is! What kind of idiots use the same symbols over and over again?! How am I supposed to know how to arrange them?!”  
“You only have to memorize twenty-six! It’s not that hard!”

Emballandae’s zeal had collapsed like a house of cards halfway through learning the alphabet. She insisted that there must be an easier way to become literate without having to learn all the letters and sounds.

“You’re mocking me! Making me write out all these symbols over and over just so you can laugh!” she said thrusting a finger in your face.

“Do you want to learn my language or not?!”

“I want to learn it the right way!”

“THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!”

Emballandae screeched and made a lunge at you. The shackles on your wrists glowed with heat as you tried to swat her away with magic.  
Goeth’s spectral hands appeared between you two. One slammed Emballandae against the seat while the other stabbed you in your chest.  
You looked down to see spirit energy hemorrhaging out of the five holes as she withdrew her fingers. The haze of energy was like looking through gas. Everything on the other side was a muddled mirage. Your fading mind watched as the colors danced and swirled behind the columns of evaporating life force as you faded out of consciousness.

~~~~~

Something smelled awful.

With a gasp you sat upright and clenched your nose.

Lussazan corked the vial she had been holding over you and set it down on a counter.

“Night has come. You will be escorted to your quarters.” She said. Turning her back to you, she began tending to a series of flasks and vials.

Goeth stood up from her seat next to your bed and helped you to your feet.

“It really would be nice if I could go one day without having to skewer you, you know?” said Goeth.

“I didn’t start it…” you growled. Goeth caught you as the blood rushed from your head.

“No, but you certainly didn’t stop it.” Said the wight as she threw one of your arms over her shoulder. “Anon, if you are going to survive in Tomb Haven you MUST learn how to deal with the young mistress. She is quick to anger and expects everything to go her way. Be patient. Show her the error of her ways and reassure her that her mistakes will not be the end of her. Trying to match her temper will… not end well.”

“What am I supposed to do? Just sit there and get yelled at? Smile and nod while she berates me?”

“Emballandae may be quick to answer, but you are slow to learn. The young mistress is eager to prove herself; but her ambition is often hampered by her pride. You have much to learn about our culture, Anon. I only ask that you exercise more patience with her. There is a beautiful woman within her. You just have to coax her out.” Said Goeth.

“Do you really believe that?”

Goeth smiled. “I do. I dare say that you would have already fallen for her if she put aside her stubborn pride.”

“Pride is all she has.”

“No.” said Goeth clenching you a bit tighter. “I know you have not seen any other side of her, but do not speak ill of her that way. When she talks about her passions, you could listen for hours. When she greets her friends, you would never know that she was royalty. Deep down she is a curious and loving soul.”

You gazed up at the wight. Obviously she thought highly of Emballandae.

“I’ve tried to be kind with her. All she does is yell at me.” You muttered.

Goeth bit her lip. “Her… ‘eccentric nature,’ is a product of her upbringing; not her personality. The Chiropta family is powerful, and I owe them much. But I do disagree with them on some matters…”

“What does that mean?”

You arrived at Emballandae’s tent.

“You shall see in time.” Goeth turned you around to place her hands on your shoulders and look you in the eye. “Please, just consider what I have said. Be patient. And when she tries to turn you away, stand by her.”

The Marshall turned without waiting for a reply and strode off.

~~~~~~~

Sleep came quickly and soon it was morning. By Goeth’s estimates, you should be arriving in Tomb Haven today.

“Why are we leaving so early?” you asked.

“We aren’t.” said Goeth.

Climbing into the carriage for what you hoped was the last time, the caravan departed.

~~~~~

Emballandae stared out the window. Her silence was unnerving; usually you two would be in a heated argument this far into the trip. She looked almost fearful.

Fine by you, you didn’t need her anyways. You had bigger problems, namely the sky. Even though it was midday, the horizon was growing dark. The sun sat directly overhead, yet cast rays of crimson and purple across the clouds above you as if it were dusk.

“Why is the sky like that?” you asked.

“Tomb Haven is a dark demon realm. Admaz was in a green realm.” Said Goeth.

“Does the sun ever come up?” you asked nervously. Eternal night didn’t sound like something that would be fun for very long.

“It does, but it’s always dark. The days are just a bit LESS dark.”

“You know, humans need sunlight to live.” You said.

“Incubi don’t.” said Goeth.

The comment made you shiver. Incubizing wasn’t anything you feared, but being bound to Emballandae for eternity was something that kept you up at night.

A gentle tapping came from the roof of the carriage.

“Marshall, the city is in sight.”

Goeth opened the window and leaned out.

“There it is! Do you want to see, Anon?” she asked.

Curiosity trumped your fear and you squeezed past her to look out the window. Out of the ominous black horizon rose a skyline of towers and buildings. Tomb Haven was set upon a hill, with the city sprawling both over and around it. The glow of thousands of torches and lamps gave the city a gentle halo of light against the dark behind it.

“How many people live there?” you asked.

“More than Admaz, that’s for certain. Most undead aren’t as opposed to sharing living space. We pack them in pretty tight.” Said Goeth with a grin.

You looked back at Emballandae. She had her hand clenched into a fist in front of her mouth, and the aura of melancholy had grown stronger.

“Hey… Are you alright?” you asked. If there was something to be scared of in Tomb Haven, you wanted to know what it was. It irked you that such a boisterous person was so quiet all of a sudden.

Emballandae jolted and nodded. “I’m fine! Fine. Just thinking about all of the things I have to do once I’m back in the city.” She said. 

You looked at Goeth who gave you an enthusiastic nod and a wink. None of your questions were answered, and you knew that they wouldn’t be until you were in the belly of the beast.

Military personnel began to change formation and shout orders to each other outside. Pressing your face against the window, you watched as the army shifted and flowed around you on the final stretch of your trip.

~~~~~

Goeth was right: Tomb Haven was deceptively populous. Unlike the plains city of Admaz, The buildings of the undead city rose several stories into the sky. The smallest buildings you could see were two stories tall. Cat walks and skyways connected the larger buildings towards the center of town. The boulevards were lined with strange and eerie trees, forming a canopy over the already dark streets. The procession slowed as the soldiers ahead of you funneled into the main gate.

A cheer emanated from the spectators who had gathered to watch your arrival. The walls and streets were lined with undead of all shapes and sizes, as well as their husbands. You shrunk back from the window as countless eyes peered in at you through the window. They had the same gleeful smiles and pointed fingers of the people of Admaz when you had first arrived.

Emballandae was relishing the attention. Opening her window, she waved to the crowds as she passed by. Her fears were momentarily forgotten as she savored the admiration of her people.

“Anon, come join me.” Said Emballandae making room for you in the window.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” you said.

“Do it.” Commanded the vampire.

Goeth gave you a little nudge with her foot and nodded her head towards the window. You sat opposite Emballandae and looked out the window.

The crowd roared with excitement and Emballandae laughed. “See Anon? They like you already!”

The carriages proceeded up the hill, surrounded by the din of the city and Emballandae’s cackling.

~~~~~~~

“There it is.” Said Goeth.

The castle of Tomb Haven. You had known that it was your destination since you had seen it on the horizon. The building itself was so astronomically large that it occupied almost half the hill the city was built on. The dark, matte bricks reflected none of the darkened suns rays. 

Most of the army broke away from the caravan as it rolled through the gate of the castle. Looking up, you could see dozens of mamono lining the wall with crossbows at the ready. The carriage passed through a garden filled with all manner of alien plants and statues of vampires. The first carriage slowed as it entered a round drive that circled a fountain in front of the castle doors, and halted at the other end. The remaining carriages filed in behind it in a semicircle.

The doors to the castle flew open and a small army of maids rushed out assist the passengers. They were flanked by knights bearing the crest of the castle, wearing armor that was paradoxically both ornate and skimpy.

The door to your car was opened and a maid bowed and gestured for you to step out. You looked at Emballandae and Goeth to see what you should do.

Emballandae was grimacing. She was wringing a piece of her cape with clenched fists while chewing her lip. Goeth put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Emballandae pulled away from her, but nodded and stepped out of the car. Goeth gestured for you to follow.

The maids and guards did their best to remain professional, but every one of them did their best to sneak a peek of the strange alien in their midst. One zombie went all in and just gawked as you passed her. The knights flanked you and Emballandae as you entered the fortress. Glancing back, you saw the lich and Goeth slip through the doors before they slammed shut behind you.

~~~~~~

If a personal army wasn’t enough of a testament to the Chiropta family’s wealth, the castle certainly was. Art hung from every wall. Statue sentinels stood at each corner and in every alcove. The gilt over the molding was probably enough to buy a city block in New York.

You were marched through grand staircases, great halls, and fantastical corridors to another set of heavy doors. Though smaller than the doors to the castle proper, these doors were covered in a detailed relief. At the center, where the two doors met, the crest of the Chiropta family sat in the middle. Underneath, a vampire stood holding a sword and book. A cape billowed out from behind her, forming the backdrop for the rest of the relief. 

On the left door, a figure stood over an army of undead, pointing a sword at the enemy. The image continued, showing undead overwhelming and raping what you presumed to be Order soldiers. The same figure that was shown leading the army was depicted leading the undead again, this time in the construction of what appeared to be Tomb Haven. Many of the laborers were carved with their husbands.

The right door was more disturbing. A vampire stood with a man in her arms, blood dripping from her fangs. The man was weakly resisting her, with two puncture wounds on his neck. Below, the vampire stood in front of a kneeling collective of peasants. A farmer with a bountiful harvest, a merchant with a scale weighed down by gold, and a soldier kneeling over a man. In the background, Tomb Haven stood enwreathed in a halo.

Emballandae halted in front of the towering work of art. The guards held and waited. You looked back at Goeth. The wight was staring straight ahead into space.

A loud creaking turned your attention back to the doors. Guards on the inside dragged the titanic slabs of wood inwards, and Emballandae continued through.

The room was exactly what you had expected, a throne room. Decorations were sparse; a single strip of carpet led to a dais that supported the throne. A mature vampire sat watching the procession with a satisfied smirk.  
At the foot of the dais, Emballandae knelt before the other vampire. The other guards followed suit. After an awkward glance around the room, you decided that it would be best to follow Goeth’s advice and not test the patience of possibly the most influential undead in the world. Taking a knee behind Emballandae, you braced yourself for whatever came next.

“I have returned… mother.”


	26. Chapter 26

There she was, Petropa von Chiropta. The source of all this mayhem. If Emballandae had not called her ‘mother,’ you may have missed the familial connection. The buxom, confident woman on the throne was a stark contrast to her spindly daughter. Emballandae’s face looked nothing like hers. Her sharp features demanded reverence and respect, despite you not knowing about her character. Emballandae had inherited none of her mothers chiseled features. She was cursed with an adorable baby face, that didn’t suit her temper and arrogance. Only time would tell if her appearance would change with age. Since vampires age differently, Emballandae may still be going through puberty for all you knew.

Petropa’s eyes glinted. “At last.” She sat up in her throne and leaned forwards. “You, human. Come closer.”

You stared back at her as you shuffled forwards. Emballandae knelt next to you with her head lowered.  
“Mmm…” hummed Petropa.

In an instant, she was in front of you. Whether it was magic, speed, or both, the vampire was now in front of you. You reeled back with a small gasp and looked up at the undead in front of you.

Petropa let out an exaggerated laugh. “So you fear me already! That is as it should be; you already know your place beneath my kind.”

She reached out and grabbed your shoulders. Try as you might to pull away from her, Petropa dragged you forwards effortlessly.

“But what a strange specimen! I’ve read all the reports, seen every drawing, and none of it did justice to this aberration before me!” said Petropa with a hint of annoyance.

“Aberration…?” you muttered.

“This skin! Only the husbands of the selkies can compare! If I wanted such a pale human I could have just bought an albino.” She said. Her right hand clasped your jaw and twisted your head as she inspected your face. “Blue eyes… I was uncertain what shade they truly were…” Petropa stared into your eyes. Her own crimson irises seemed to glow in the faint light of the throne room. “…Disappointing. I had hoped that they would be akin to the finest lapis lazuli.”

She released you and ascended the dais to her throne.

The humiliation and anger were too much for you to contain.

“Sorry I’m such a letdown. I hope it’s not too late to send me back and get a refund.” You said.  
Goeth drew a sharp breath from behind you and some of the guards around you shifted uncomfortably. Petropa sat down on the throne and gave you a condescending smile.

“It is true, you were not the bronze skinned, golden eyed, warrior that I was hoping to conjure. You have the aesthetic of a cave dwelling hermit. But you are saved by your circumstance. Your value lies in your being, not your appearance. Anon, you are the first of your kind. The only male from a different dimension. Something so rare that no dragon, no pharaoh, not even a lilim possesses anything that could pass as an imitation. You are a symbol of the power of the Chiropta dynasty.” Said Petropa.

“That’s it? You’re saying that the only reason I’m valuable is because I’m unique?” you said.

Petropa snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous! Surely you have heard the rumors of how you came to reside in this world, no?”

“Some sort of experiment.” 

Petropa laughed. “What beautiful ignorance! You really do no nothing about what transpired, do you?”

Your curiosity held your tongue. This undead had the answers to your arrival. Closure to the questions you had been asking for months.

“I know that it was a massive undertaking…” you said after a long pause.

“More than you will ever know, human. Tomb Haven collected more than fifty years of energy from the denizens of the city to fuel the spell.” Said Petropa.

“Spell?”

“The most ambitious spell to ever be cast. Millions of gold pieces, half a century of research, and another half of mana collection all went into summoning you.” Said Petropa thrusting a slim finger at you.

“That… that doesn’t make any sense!” you shouted. “Why the hell would you do that?! You spent all that time and effort to summon a single human?!”

“A single human, yes. But not the last.” Said Petropa.

Your heart skipped a beat. “…What?”

“Oh? Does experiment have a different connotation in your world? Is that amulet you wear broken? Your purpose was to test our findings; to prove that viable males could be acquired through unconventional means. That is what you are, Anon. A proof of concept.”

The shackles on your wrists glowed with heat as your magic ran rampant through your body.

“YOU BITCH!” you screamed. You charged forwards but the guards caught hold of your arms.

Petropa smiled down at you. “Did that strike a nerve? Knowing that you were just a preliminary test? Or did you really believe that you were special? Your magic is impressive, and your culture is amusing, but without those things you are just another human.”

“You think you can just take people like this?!” you hissed.

“I can. Let the Demon Lord toil away at her conversion spell. She is engaged in a battle she cannot win. Instead, the world will know that I, Petropa von Chiropta, found the solution to the lack of males. When the time comes, I will open a permanent gateway to your world, and harvest all the lowly humans of your realm.”

“You can't just kidnap people like that! They have lives, they-“

“They are human.” Boomed Petropa. “Only fit to feed and sustain mamono. They will have more purpose as our fodder than they could ever dream of having in their previous lives.”

“You bastard…”

Petropa grinned. “I find your defiance amusing. I look forward to seeing you squirm beneath my boot. In time you will learn your place, and relish in your subservience. It may take centuries to open the gate. But when the first humans stagger out in chains and collars, the first thing they will see is you cleaning my daughter’s boots with your tongue.”

You shouted in rage and pain as the magic shackles began to sizzle. The faint odor of burnt hair wafted around you.

“I’ll fucking kill you!” you seethed.

“Ufufu… How does that saying go in your language Anon?” She blinked in front of you again and you recoiled in shock. A powerful hand shot out to clasp your throat. Petropa lifted you off your feet and the guards released you. You kicked and clawed in desperation to free yourself. Petropa pulled you close and whispered in your ear, in perfect English: “Welcome to hell~”

She threw you back down the carpet. You landed painfully on your back, and your head connected with the stone floor. The other mamono tried their best to ignore you as your groans of pain were interrupted by your gasps for air.

“Take him away. I will speak with him later. Have all of his things been moved to the laboratory yet?” asked Petropa.

“Yes, Lady Petropa.” Said one of the guards.

“Very good. You may show him to his room.” Said the vampire with a dismissive wave.

The tension in the room dissipated as the mamono quickly filed out of the throne room. Guards jostled you from behind to herd you towards the exit. Emballandae brushed past you with hunched shoulders and her collar pulled up.

“Where do you think you’re going, daughter?”

Emballandae flinched. Slowly she turned around to face her mother. You were dragged past her though the door.

“Y-yes, momma?” she said quietly.

“We need to discuss your… ‘tactics’ during Anon’s procurement…”

The heavy doors slammed shut behind you. The last thing you heard was a small whimper from your young mistress as she approached her mother.

~~~~~~~

“Good day, master Anon. My name is Rhen. I am the steward of the Chiropta estate. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Said a skeleton wearing a Victorian dress. She gave a courtesy and stared at you.

“…Nice to meet you.” You said. It was a brusque greeting, but after the confrontation with Emballandae’s mother you were in no mood for pleasantries.

“Your room has been prepared. This way, please.”

The bone-woman turned and began down the hall. Theoretically, you could make a daring escape attempt, but there was no way that you would be able to navigate through the labyrinthian castle back to the exit without getting caught. Unless you chose defenestration…  
“Here we are, master Anon.” said Rhen.

Two butlers flanked a set of doors leading to your room. They bowed at the sight of their boss and opened the doors for the two of you. It seemed strange to have human men serving as butlers, but if the maids lived here with their husbands it made sense for both of them to serve the Chiropta family.

The doors beguiled the true nature of the space. Plush finery and hand-carved furniture radiated sophistication and wealth. Towering glass doors led to a balcony overlooking a courtyard. The attached bath and closet were larger than your dorm room in Admaz. The ceiling was high enough to make you dizzy looking up at it. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the room with a comforting glow. The bed was comically large, bordering on impractical. It was at least twelve feet wide and just as long. The remainder of the floorspace was cluttered with tables, chairs, dressers, mirrors, and shelves. Curiously, the Chiropta’s had filled the closet with an entire wardrobe’s worth of clothing. How they managed to obtain your measurements, you could not say.

“Hey…” you said.

A pattern of cloth caught your eye.

“My shirt!” you exclaimed. Indeed, the very shirt that you had worn when you had made your impromptu arrival in this world. Though it had been reduced to tatters, you had kept the cloth for sentimental reasons. Checking the collar, the mangled manufacturers tag proved that it was indeed the genuine article and not a mamono replica.

“All of your clothing has been mended as per Lady Petropa’s orders.” Said Rhen. “However, we were not able to find a suitable material to fix your shoes.”

Understandable. Even if mamono did have rubber there was no way that they could just slap a chunk of it onto your shoes to fix them. The soles had been worn down to wafers and your toes had turned the soggy top into more of a sandal than a shoe. None the less, they sat ready for you underneath the hanging shirts.

“This wardrobe was made custom for you, using transcripts from your lectures to craft {Earth}-style clothes. We hope they are to your liking.” Said Rhen.

The tailors had done an impeccable job of creating imitations of the things you had described, considering that they had no visual reference. Most of the clothes were close enough to pass from a distance. The shirts looked a little tight, the jeans were a little slim and didn’t have the bulk of denim, and the shorts were… very short.

Come to think of it, everything looked like it was a smidge too small for you…

Oh well, they could just fix whatever they needed to later. Clearly they had the budget for it.

“Now then, I have been instructed to inform you of the rules Lady Petropa has set forth for you.” Said Rhen pulling a small scroll from her apron. “First and foremost, you are to obey all orders from the Chiropta family, and any who speak with their authority. This includes me, the captain of the guard, and Lussazan. If you fail to comply, we are authorized to use force as necessary.”

Not a great start. Rhen seemed alright, but the idea of that lich having free reign over your body made you nervous.

“You will be guaranteed at least two hours of time a day to use as you see fit. You may travel anywhere that has not been made off-limits by Lady Petropa or the castle staff.” Continued Rhen.

Nice. It was good to know that you would have SOME reprieve from Emballandae if you needed it.

“…This time allotment will be nulled if your presence is needed for an event or function. In addition, the two hours cumulative. If you have used forty-five minutes and are interrupted, you will have one hour and fifteen minutes for the rest of the day. 

Sounds like that was a loophole…

“Under no circumstances are any mamono other than Emballandae to make sexual advances on you. Any such incidents are to be reported IMMEDIATELY to the nearest staff member. Anon, you, are likewise forbidden from making any sexual advances on any monster but Emballandae. Incidents involving a monsters latent magical abilities, such as a banshee’s crying, will be reviewed by a tribunal of senior staff members and Lady Petropa.”

Standard protection stuff. Alright. You had the same deal in Admaz albeit with different intentions.

“With the exception of the two hours to be used at Anon’s discretion, he is expected to remain in the presence of Emballandae at all times unless ordered otherwise. Sleep is exempt from this stipulation, but Anon may not sleep more than eight and a half hours a day unless debilitatingly ill.”

Fuck. You were afraid of that. At least here you weren’t confined in a carriage with her.

“All privileges are dependent on Anon’s compliance and good behavior. Any individual acting under the Chiropta’s authority may withhold, revoke, or reduce the things, time, or company that Anon has been given, at any time and for any reason, provided that the deprivation of said person/object/time does not result in serious harm or death.”

You gulped. It didn’t take a lawyer to know what that meant: if you stepped out of line, Emballandae could do anything short of murder.  
“That concludes your expectations. Do you have any questions?” asked Rhen.

“No.” you said softly.

“Very good, master Anon. Would you please follow me? Lady Petropa wished to speak to you after you had been acclimated to your room.” Said the skeleton.

Before you could respond, she turned and exited the room. You hurried after her, not wanting to offend one of the people who now had control over your life.

~~~~~

“Ah! There he is. The choleric alien!” said Petropa swirling a glass of wine.

Rhen had taken you through the castle to the courtyard that sat in the middle of the superstructure. The walls formed a ‘U’ shape, with the courtyard looking out over the land surrounding Tomb Haven. An impressive feat of architecture, the sprawling space was filled with terraces and steppes. Water features and plants obscured the towering walls around you. Trellises of flowers formed curtains to pass through as you meandered to your destination. Though the flora of this demon realm lacked color, the gardener had done an impeccable job of breathing vibrant life into the clearing. Pathways led through the foliage and over the brooks to a patio area that faced west. Or… whatever the equivalent of west was here…

You grit your teeth and took the seat that one of the butlers pulled out for you.

“Leave us.” Commanded Petropa with a wave.

Rhen and the other servants bowed and returned to the castle.

“So Anon, how are you? Help yourself to the food, it’s all been prepared for you in accordance to that unicorn’s notes.” Said Petropa with a smile.

The table was covered in an assortment of dishes, each the size of an appetizer. Though you were reluctant to eat anything, it had been hours since you had had breakfast. Taking a few small samples of various dishes you cautiously loaded your plate.  
“What do you want?” you asked coldly.

Petropa’s smile faded. “Some manners would be lovely. Do you always behave so callously when someone enquires about your health?”  
“Only when I know they don’t care.” You said dryly.

“I do care.”

Her sincerity caught you by surprise. Petropa’s smirk had been replaced by a stern glare.

“Though you are a human, I have no desire to see you endure any undue suffering.”

You stared back at her.

“I wanted to talk to you alone to ensure that you understand what is expected of you.” Said Petropa.

“Yeah, Rhen gave me the rundown.” You said.

“More than that. This is about my daughter.”

“What about her?”

Petropa poured herself another glass of wine and contemplated the horizon. “She informed me of your first meeting, and your… ‘tantrum’ at the gates of Admaz.”

You gulped. This moment had always seemed so far away when you were safe within the walls of Admaz with days of travel between you and the shadowy oligarch who was threatening you. Now you were sitting with her for lunch.

“I-“

Petropa raised a hand to stop you. “I know that she can be a handful. From the reports I read regarding the incidents I have determined that it was her poor handling of the situation that exacerbated the conflict into a ground war.”

Tension flooded from your shoulders. What a relief! Knowing that Petropa was willing to make an informed decision based on evidence made the list of rules Rhen had read you less daunting.

“I told her that she should read the transcripts of your lectures. Your culture has such an intriguing fascination on personal freedom. But when I encouraged her to appeal to your virtues of self-righteousness and liberty, she told me that she could handle it. Next thing I know she was detained in Admaz for smuggling out your spirit supplement and had been humiliated in front of an entire class of students.” Said Petropa.

“I never meant to embarrass her…” you said.

“I understand. I had the other students interviewed and they all agreed that Emballandae had overstepped her bounds. That’s why I wanted to clear the air between us, Anon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Though you are a human, the blame falls on the Chiropta family for the mismanagement of this affair.”  
“Is that an apology?”

Petropa took a sip of wine. “It is an invitation. I will not begrudge you a petty outburst. Traveling between worlds would be enough to break the minds of some. You are ignorant of our customs and culture. If you are willing to behave yourself, I promise that you will be treated with respect.”

“And by behave you mean follow every order your daughter gives me.” You said dryly.

“I said it was an invitation. You WILL obey my daughter. Your consent is not required. It would make things easier for all parties if you learned your place.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You already know the consequences. I’m sure Lussazan would be delighted to have you all to herself.”

You set aside your silverware and wiped your face. “Emballandae already has it out for me. Why should I listen to her when I’m fucked either way?”

Petropa sighed. “Anon, my daughter has not lived up to the Chiropta legacy. She is whimsical and naïve. She demands responsibility and cries when she inevitably fails. Though I’ve tried to teach her well, she is prone to eccentric outbursts. But beneath all that, she has a noble soul. I have ordered her to make amends with you. If you are patient with her you will no doubt find your place in her service where you belong.”

“Oh boy.”

Petropa lunged across the table and seized your throat. “Listen well, Anon. I don’t much care for this attitude but that is beside the point. All your feeble human mind needs to understand is that if you ever embarrass my daughter again, if you disobey her, I’ll have you chained to an examination table to let Lussazan experiment on you until your skin turns to dust. Got it?”

You sputtered and gasped as her nails dug into your throat. Petropa thrust you back into your seat and you collapsed onto the table trying to catch your breath.

“I’m glad we understand each other. Now then, I sent my daughter to her room to contemplate the mistakes she made. I suspect she would be delighted to see you, don’t you think?”

Petropa snapped her fingers and a ghost hovered out of the floor. “Show him to my daughter’s quarters.”

The ghost bowed and bid you to follow her. 

“Ta-ta, Anon~” said Petropa as you walked away. She finished her glass of wine and let out a satisfied sigh.

~~~~~~

“The young Lady is inside.” Said the ghost. Without waiting for a reply she floated through the floor.

Were abrupt exits an undead thing, or had you already offended everyone? You would have to ask Goeth later.

“Emballandae, it’s me. Can I come in?” you asked, knocking on the door.

You could hear Emballandae shuffle around in the room for a moment before she opened the door for you.

“So, you’ve come to me. Are you finally prepared to serve your mistress?” said the vampire. Her attempts at condescension were crippled by the redness of her eyes. Though she tried her best to muster the smug sneer she envisioned, she just looked tired.

“Yeah. Something like that…” you said. No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t be the doormat that the vampires expected you to be.

You entered the room and looked around. Emballandae’s room was even bigger than yours. The layout and furniture were similar, but all of the containers were scaled up to match the amount of clothing, books, or accessories that Emballandae had. The room was spotless, save for a cluster of chairs and a coffee table in front of a fireplace. Mountains of books and notes cluttered the table and various chairs. The only place unburdened with tomes or parchment was a love seat with a worn blanket.

“Good that you learn your place now. Your futile resistance would only have brought you to ruin.” Said Emballandae.

You ignored her and walked over to the stacks of books.

“Hey! Put that down!” whined Emballandae.

Whatever the book was about, it went beyond the basic written words you had learned at Admaz. After Morala’s departure, you had forewent learning the mamono language and took notes in English instead.

Emballandae tore the book out of your hands and glared at you. As much as you didn’t like her, she was pretty cute when she was blushing like that.

The tiny vampire put the book back on top of the stack and huffed. “Don’t touch anything unless I give you permission to.”  
“Fine, sorry. I was just curious.” You said.

Emballandae nodded in approval at your capitulation. “So… Why are you here?”

“I thought you might want to see me.” You lied.

“Oh! Well, yes… I suppose that it would only be right that you learn my tastes so as to serve me better.” Said Emballandae.

She gulped and looked around. A painful silence dragged out as you waited for her to follow the statement with an example.  
“What are some of your tastes?” you asked.

“I… I like… Sleeping!” said Emballandae.

“Alright, but I don’t think that I can help you with that…” you said.

“Hmph! Some day you will! When my noble blood has uplifted you and you have transcended your humanity, you will warm my bed forever more as a source of sustenance!” said Emballandae thrusting a finger at you.

That reminded you of a question you wanted to ask.

“Hey Emballandae, whe-“

“Excuse me, MILADY.” corrected Emballandae.

“Pardon me, milady…” you said without missing a beat. “…But where’s your father?”

Emballandae squirmed at the mention of father. She glanced at the door and frowned. “He’s busy.” She mumbled.

“Is he just sustenance to your mom?” you asked.

“Yes, of course.” Said Emballandae. “Why would he be anything else?”

She smiled at you. You stared back at her and she turned away.

“Anyways, that isn’t important. The matter at hand is most pressing: you are COMPLETELY unfit to serve me.”

“How so?” you said.

“You overstep your bounds! You’re contentious for no reason. And if you aren’t arguing with me, you’re way too familiar! I’m your owner, so you need to show me the respect I deserve!” Said Emballandae angrily.

“I think I treat you with the respect you deserve.” You said.

Emballandae blushed and smacked you. “YOU’RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW!” she shouted.

You chuckled and shielded yourself as she battered you with a slap-punch hybrid. Clearly she lacked the supernatural strength of her mother. Maybe the superpowers came after she got creampied a few times.

“Alright, alright. Sorry, jeez.” You said.

“It’s not funny! I’m in charge and you have to listen to me.” Said Emballandae.

“I am! You haven’t told me to do anything yet.” You said.

“Well then… uhh…”

Emballandae looked around the room.

“Fetch me that book!” she demanded, pointing to one at the top of a pile.

“This one?” you asked, reaching out to grab it.

“No! I mean, yes, that’s the right book. But you have to get up and bring it to me; don’t just sit there.” Said Emballandae.

You unseated yourself and took one step forwards to grab the book. Taking one step back, you handed it to her.

“Ufufu… Very good human. I’m surprised that your simple mind could even accomplish such a simple task.” Said Emballandae.

Oh God, it sounded like she had been practicing in front of the mirror. Hadn’t she already used that line already? If not, it was something really similar. Did that mean she was already almost out of material? Would you have to hear the same cliched phrases over and over again?

“W-why are you looking at me like that?” said Emballandae clutching the book to her chest.

You realized that you had been looking at the poor vampire with an expression of pity.

“Sorry. What’s that book about?” you asked.

“It’s a history of our family. Well, one volume of it. Momma told me to read up on our lineage since I was going to bring you into the family.” Said Emballandae.

“Are all these family records?” you asked surveying the clutter.

“No, only a few. The rest are history, economics, philosophy… that kind of thing.”

“What about this one?” you asked picking up a slim book from the coffee table. The pages were not yellowed with age like the others, but the small volume had more wear and tear than most of the other books.

“Hey! Put that back!” said Emballandae.

You set the book back down and opened to the middle. The book naturally parted at a certain place.

“Stop!”

The page you had turned to was an instructional section detailing how to draw arms. The text was complimented by small sketches to demonstrate what was being taught. A collection of paper scraps filled with practice sketches were wedged between the pages.

Emballandae resorted to using her magic to yank the book out of your hand. Scraps of paper flew out of the book as it shot towards her.

“If I say not to do something, you damn well better not do it.” Said Emballandae.

“What are you so mad about? I can’t even read most of this stuff.” You said.

“Then why did you open the book in the first place?”

She had you there. Curiosity demanded you open the book, but if it had been anything but an art guide you would have had no idea what the contents were.

“Force of habit…” you mumbled. “Sorry…”

Your invasion of Emballandae’s privacy must have struck a nerve with her. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to let this go.

“My feet are weary. Kneel in front of me.” Said Emballandae coldly. 

You got down on one knee in front of her.

“No, turn the other way and get on both knees.” Said Emballandae. 

Following her instructions you wait patiently in front of her. The fireplace in front of flickered and crackled. Emballandae grunted and hoisted both of her feet onto your shoulders. Each foot stretched past you, hovering in your peripherals.

“Ufufu… Much better. How do you like this, Anon? This is where you belong. Your entire purpose is now to fulfill my whims and desires.” Said Emballandae.

“It’s not so bad.” You said. The rug underneath you was soft enough to cushion your knees, and Emballandae was light enough to support without pain. Her slender legs were thin enough to not sandwich your neck either. In fact, they smelled quite good. Now that the little lady was back in her element, she must have started using perfume again. Though you wanted to get a better whiff of the inviting aroma, you knew that sniffing her ankles would be a death sentence.

“Oh… I see…” said Emballandae. 

She picked up the book that had been sitting on the loveseat and began reading. Time slowly crawled by in silence as you waited for her to make the next move. Emballandae was slowly realizing that although the position she had forced you into was humiliating, it was not as comfortable as she had imagined. Her feet twisted and squirmed as she tried to find a good position on your shoulders for her tender ankles. Having her feet propped up also made it difficult for her to wrap a blanket around herself. The kicking became more frequent until she pulled her legs off of your shoulders to massage her aching calves.

“I think you’ve learned your lesson.” Said Emballandae rubbing her legs.

“Yeah.” You said, unsure how you were supposed to be validating this gloating.

Emballandae slipped a piece of paper into her book and set it down.

“It must be frustrating to not be able to read any of these books, isn’t it?” she said.

“I can read a little.” You protested.

“Oooh? Can you?” said Emballandae. She leaned towards you with a sneer. “I take it back! What a smart human you must be to be able to read SOME things.”

Emballandae laughed and picked up a thick book.

“Go ahead,” she said handing it to you. “Read ‘a little’ of this.”

You opened the book and flipped forwards a few pages. Rows of nonsensical symbols stared back at you. The only tidbits you could understand were the small words: syntax like to, we, how, then, the… The only word that stood out to you was ‘home.’

“The home… is…” you stuttered.

Emballandae roared with laughter. “The home is! Wonderful! You’re almost there. Or is that all you can read? Three random words? I’ll admit, it’s two more than I expected from you.”

Your shackles flared as you slammed the book shut and tossed it onto the table.

“Aww, did that little test bother you? Not so clever when someone reminds you that you’re just an illiterate human, huh?” said Emballandae with an exaggerated frown.

“Fuck you, you bloodsucking {womanlet}! You can’t read my language either!” you retorted.

“I don’t need to read your shitty language!” screamed Emballandae.

She stood up to try and stare you down, but she only came up to the middle of your face.

“Ahem.”

Both of you turned to see a zombie standing in the doorway.

“I apologize for interrupting, but Lussazan has requested to see the human.” She said.

Emballandae turned her back to you and snapped her fingers. “Take him.”

Two guards hurried in to grab you by the arms and haul you away.

As you were dragged down the hall to the mad scientist, you reminded yourself that you had only been here a few hours. In that time, you had ignored every suggestion and order given to you and pissed off the woman who now controlled every aspect of your life.  
You should see if the library has any guides on how to apologize…


	27. Chapter 27

“So where is Lussazan’s lab located in the castle?” you asked the maid leading you.

“In the basement.” Said the zombie.

“Of course it is…”

The lower you descended into the underbelly of the castle, the less ornate the décor became. After a few flights of stairs, the only thing covering the bricks of the walls were ancient tapestries bearing the Chiropta crest. A familiar stench of alchemical reagents began to permeate the air.

The last flight of stairs led to a plain looking wooden door with a single word embossed onto the front. Laboratory. You recognized it from the time you had spent in Ergine’s class at Admaz. The zombie knocked on the door.

“Lussazan, the human is here.” She said.

Lussazan opened the door before the zombie could even finish her sentence.

“Very good. You are dismissed.” Said the lich.

The zombie bowed and gestured for you to enter. Stepping into the lab, she shut the door behind you.

“This way.” Said Lussazan. She floated towards what looked like a dentist’s chair.

You knew better than to upset her, so you took a seat in the chair and waited patiently as the lich shuffled some tubes and beakers around.

“Well hi there, Anon!”

The cheerful greeting caught you by surprise. A figure cut through the haze to stand next to you. Though clearly a man, he was no doubt undead. His skin was pale, and his face had a slightly withered appearance.

The man laughed. “Oh don’t worry about me. I won’t hurt ya! Must be strange to see a man like this, if they didn’t have undead in your world. I’m Datoll, Lussazan’s husband.”

You realized that you had been gawking at him and quickly stammered out a greeting.

He grabbed your hand off the arm rest and gave it a vigorous shake.

“I can’t say how great it is to have you here. Really spectacular!” he continued. He frowned. “I’m so sorry that you got mixed up in all that travel business. I told Lusy that it would be hard enough on a human to take them away from their home. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to be jerked around like that.”

“Well, I-“

“But you’re here now!” exclaimed Datoll, cutting you off. “You must be a sharp one if you could avoid being claimed for this long, even if Admaz was protecting you. I’ve seen the preliminaries for your magical aptitude: great stuff! Really fantastic!”

You looked at Lussazan. She had pulled her hood tighter over her head to hide her face.

“Yeah, great.” You said. 

“I think we’re close to figuring out why your body reacts the way it does to mamono mana too! Who knows, in a few months you may be able to finally be able to kiss that little cutie that adopted you, eh?” said Datoll giving you a nudge with his elbow.  
Lussazan buried her face in her hands.

“Uh huh…” you nodded.

“Dear, please…” said Lussazan.

“Oh! Sorry, Lusy! I know I said I wouldn’t get too excited, but it’s completely different now that he’s here!” said Datoll.

“Don’t call me that.” Said Lussazan.

Datoll chuckled. “Don’t let her fool you, she’s really charming once she warms up to you.” Said Datoll.

Lussazan floated over and pushed him away from you. “Go run some tests.” She demanded.

“But we don’t have any tests to run…” said Datoll.

“Tests!” said Lussazan.

Datoll hurried off to go make himself busy while Lussazan prepared to take a blood sample. Her pout and blush made you smile.

“I apologize for my husbands… cordiality…” said Lussazan drawing a syringe of blood.

“It’s fine.” You said. “I actually miss having people to talk too. Where has he been all this time?”

“The experiment to bring you here left him unwell.” Said Lussazan.

“How? Did he get exposed to something?”

“No.”

You waited for Lussazan to continue but she transferred the blood into a series of beakers and set to work mixing her strange concoctions. After a few moments, she grunted in frustration. Hovering back over to you, she forced a vial into your hands.

“Fill this.” She commanded.

“With what?”

“Semen.”

You sighed and undid your pants. “Is there a curtain or something that I can use?”

“No.”

Oh well.

Filling the vial didn’t take long, even with the conditions being less than ideal for the task in hand. Being surrounded by sex-monsters had that effect on you.

“Here.” You said handing the sample to Lussazan.

She snatched it out of your hand and placed the vial into what looked like a centrifuge.

“Is something wrong?” you asked.

“I do not know.” Replied the lich.

“What? So something could be wrong?” you asked nervously.

“No. Maybe, I… I must do research.” Said Lussazan.

“So can I go?” you asked.  
“No.”  
Lussazan took the sample out of the machine and floated deeper into the lab. The sound of bubbling flasks and hissing steam surrounded you as you waited for her to return.

~~~~

“Hey Anon, are ya’ thirsty?” asked Datoll. He set a tray of food and a cup of water down on a bench near you and pulled a stool over for you.

You tentivly get out of your chair and take a seat on the stool. Grabbing one of the small sandwiches, you take a bite and wait for him to do something.

“Must be hard to find food that doesn’t make you sick huh? I’ve seen how low your tolerance is to mamono mana.” Said Datoll watching you eat.

“It’s getting better. I don’t get sick anymore.” You said.

“Of course! You just have a ways to go before you’ll be able to safely ‘interact’ with monsters.” Chuckled Datoll.

“Yeah…”

Datoll poured himself a glass of water and took a sip.

“I am curious though, you say that you’re familiar with our world, how? All the reports form Magnara said that you took arriving here in stride, despite so many new concepts and complications.” Said Datoll.

“There was a book, not really a book actually, more of a… ‘guide,’ that described a place just like this.”

“Is that so! So you knew that monsters didn’t really eat people? That they just needed someone to love?” said Datoll.

“Yeah.”

“Did something change?”

You looked up from your meal. “What do you mean?”

Datoll sighed. “I heard about all the fights you’ve been getting into. That stunt that you pulled at the gates of Admaz? You should be thankful they let you see the light of day!”

“Well I wouldn’t be so belligerent if I wasn’t being abducted.” you said.

“But you know that they won’t harm you, right? Even though you hurt so many of them, they were still gentle with you.”

“...I know.”

“So if you know that they won’t hurt you, then why are you so cranky all the time?”

“You wouldn’t understand. In my world you got to love who you WANTED to love, not whoever grabbed you first.” You said.

“Even if the thing that grabs you loves you with all their heart?”

“That’s not the point! It’s supposed to be a mutual thing.” You protested.

“Well if that 'guide' you learned everything from was worth the paper it was printed on, you know that your attitude changes after you’ve been with a monster” said Datoll.

“I know…”

Datoll set his glass down and folded his arms. “Love isn’t a straight path, Anon. It’s a destination. And sometimes you have to take a path you never expected to take to get there. It’s a possibility that Emballandae isn’t a good match for you. It that’s the case, then I’m sure that fate will put you on the right path. All this arguing is going to get you nowhere. Sooner or later you’re going to have to start behaving like an adult and work to solve your problems yourself instead of blaming people around you.”

“Blaming people?! They kidnapped me!” you said.

“They did. And it looks like they aren’t going to release you. What are you going to do about it?”

You grunted and finished the last of the food.

“I know that you’re in a tough spot, so I’ll give you a hint: find out Emballandae’s hobbies.” Said Datoll with a grin.

“Her hobbies?” you asked.

“That’s right. She’s so wonderfully passionate about her interests.” 

“What are they?”

“That’s something that she’ll have to tell you herself.” Datoll said with a smile.

“Husband.”

Lussazan’s voice made both of you jump as she appeared behind you.

“What have you been conversing with Anon about?” asked the lich.

“Nothing, nothing. Just making sure that he’s settling in.” said Datoll.

Lussazan stared at him. “…Very well. Anon, I need you to come with me.”

You got up and followed Lussazan to an elaborate looking machine at the other side of the lab.

“Do you know what this is?” asked Lussazan.

“No…” you replied looking over the contraption. It was a chunk of metal the size of a van with a large slot and a series of buttons and switches on the front. Tubes and wires snaked in and out of the rest of the machine in an orderly fashion.

“I suspected as much. The College of Admaz does not have the budget for such an intricate machine.” Said Lussazan. She floated to a nearby shelf and pulled out a wafer-thin piece of glass. The pane was about two feet by two feet with markings at the bottom and along one side. Lussazan slid the pane into the slot and showed you and Datoll a vial with some of your semen in it.

“This machine gives a reading of your spirit energy. By cross-referencing your energy with mamono-mana form different species, we can guess which monster will be best for a certain man.” Said Lussazan.

“Are his readings off? Did you make sure to calibrate the mana-couplings?” asked Datoll. He moved past you to poke at some buttons.

“Yes, and the mana samples are still viable. Here, this is the first reading to come out…” said Lussazan handing Datoll a pane from a nearby table.

“What the…?” he said in confusion.

“… and here is the second.” Said Lussazan handing him another.

Datoll looked at the panes in confusion. Setting them down on the table he looked back and forth at them for a minute. The glass was different from the blank panes, these had some sort of scatter plot etched onto them. Dozens of yellow dots filled the screen.

Lussazan inserted the vial of your semen into a hole in the machine and pushed a button. The box hummed to life with magical energy. A loud grinding sound filled the air for a few minutes before the box shut off with a small ding.

The lich pulled the third slide out and waved it in the air like a Polaroid.

“Can you explain this?” asked Lussazan holding the glass in front of your face.

“Do you want me to connect the dots?” you asked.

“No. I want you to explain why there are so many resonance points on this chart.” Said Lussazan.

“I don’t know what that means…” you said.

“A resonance point is like a fingerprint for the soul. Each person should have a single point on this pane that is different from everyone else.” Said Datoll.

“Oh. So where’s mine?” you asked.

“That’s the problem, Anon. There’s more than one soul signature.” Said Datoll.

“Hmm?”

“There is more than one soul cohabitating your mortal coil.” Said Lussazan.

You stared at her. You looked at Datoll. He stared back with concern.

“What do you mean, I don’t understand…” you said. Their fear was starting to make you anxious.

“Calm down, Anon. It’s nothing to worry about.” Said Datoll.

“We cannot be certain husband. There may be complications. To my knowledge, this is the first documented case of such a phenomenon.” Said Lussazan.

Datoll slapped a palm over his face. Lussazan turned abruptly at the smack and then turned back to you.

“Oh, I see. You were attempting to soothe him.” Said Lussazan with a hint of a blush. “Do not worry human, the chances of an early demise are greatly diminished under my care.”

“Am I sick?! I’m going to die?!” you asked.

“Perhaps. We have no way of knowing the effects of having so many souls in a single body. You could be perfectly healthy. Or dying. We need to collect data and begin experiment-“

“WOULD YOU STOP COMFORTING HIM?!” shouted Datoll.

Lussazan cowered behind you.

“R-raising your voice like that is counterproductive to our mutual scientific goals…” whispered Lussazan.

“Anon, don’t listen to her. She just gets a little… enthusiastic about her work. If you’ve lived this long, you probably aren’t dying.” Said Datoll.

“What does she mean by ‘all those souls’? Am I possessed?” you asked.

“No. Well, no. Kind of.” Said Datoll showing you one of the slides. “Normally a human will show up as a single point, or a small smear on the diagram. The more species they are compatible with, them larger the dot. Most humans are only a pinprick. But you show signs for… damn near everything.”

You took the pane. There were hundreds of dots. You felt sick just looking at the chart.

"These are SOULS? Like, people's life energy?" you asked.

"Only parts, it would seem. I don't think there's MUCH of anyone cohabiting you, if that makes sense..." said Datoll.

“Am… am I still me?” you asked weakly.

“Of course. Do you see this dot?” said Datoll pointing to the brightest point. “That’s ‘you’ as you know you. The other souls inside you don’t have much power.”

“Well what are they doing there? Why are there just… people or whatever inside me?” you asked.

“Ehh… that’s a good question. It could be that souls from your world just lived in other humans. Ancestors hanging out in the shells of their descendants. They aren’t animal spirits, I can tell you that much.” Said Datoll.

“I too have a theory.” Said Lussazan.

You and Datoll looked at her. She looked back and forth between you.

“…Okay. What is it?” you asked.

“Though it seemed in consequential at the time, one of your earlier reports mentioned that you traveled though some sort of ‘haze’ as you were being transported here.” Said the lich.

“Oh, yeah. It was like a shimmering mist. A wall of it. I passed through it and the next thing I knew I was a hundred feet in the air over a lake.” You said.

“I suspect that what you saw was some form of the afterlife. The ‘wall’ was a collective mass of spiritual energy.” Said Lussazan.

“So I took a bath in soul-juice and wound up with two hundred extra people inside me?” you asked.

“No. The spell used to summon you consisted of two parts: separating your soul from your body, and transporting your body here. By pulling your soul into the portal, its destination became our world’s afterlife instead of your own. Once it was on track to come here, your body would be rejoined with it to snap you back to the mortal plane.”

“So you killed me.” You said.

“No. We severed the connection between your body and soul.” Said Lussazan.

“That’s death!”

“No, it isn’t. Regardless of what it could be called, the idea was for your body to rejoin your soul immediately after entering the portal. This… could not be accomplished. In all my careful consideration, I had never taken into account that humans may be traveling faster than a horse. The extra energy needed to keep a tether on your soul and body as you moved in the {cah} proved to be too much. Your soul and body were apart much longer than anticipated. Perhaps the other human souls in the veil were sucked into your body on instinct; filling a void left in a healthy human body by the removal of your soul.”

“I guess that makes sense… kind of…” you said. “So because you thought I would be standing still, moving me around across different dimensions took too much energy?”

“Correct. The spring was not your intended destination…” said Lussazan. “You were to be warped directly into this laboratory.”

“You were only off by a few hundred miles.” You said sarcastically.

Lussazan glared at you. “You have no idea how much energy was stockpiled for that day. Decades of the entire city copulating just for one spell. Years of psychic channeling into the abyss. But it was not enough. As our mana reserves ran dry, I and the other casters siphoned energy from the denizens of Tomb Haven to steer you to safety. There are still residents who have yet to recover from the incident.”

“The abyss? Is that where you think I came from?” you asked. You would have to thank Tomb Haven for the save later.

Lussazan hovered over to a decrepit bookshelf filled with musty tomes. Taking one off the shelf, she dusted it off before showing it to you. You couldn’t help but gasp.

The mother fucking Monster Girl Encyclopedia.

“This…! But how!?” you asked. The volume was ancient. Though the pages were yellowed with age, they still had the same format of a monster picture and accompanying text taking up two pages.

“This was commissioned to be spread amongst the human populations of this world. With the help of mindflayers, we managed to extrapolate a thought pattern for human feelings; primarily love and the desire for love. Shogoths gave us insight into the space between worlds, and how it could be breached. For years, our scientists have worked to project monster kind's love for man as a whisper into the cracks in reality, waiting for a reply. It came from your world. From what you say, one human was more attuned to the message we were sending. He created the encyclopdeia, and spread the word of our kind to {Earth}. As more and more of you read the encyclopedia, the whisper from your world became stronger.” Said Lussazan.

“That’s scary as hell.” You said, more than a bit unnerved. The eldritch involvement in this fiasco made Lussazan's work seem much more sinister.

“I understand that it must be difficult for you to comprehend. It took the wisest sages and the most brilliant savants to even craft the foundational magics of this spell.” Said Lussazan.

“That seems like a lot of work for just one human…” you said.

“Indeed, we had hoped for a better specimen…” Said Lussazan.

“Hey!” you said. Datoll shook his head apologetically as his wife continued.

“…But any human would have done. A female would have suited my needs just as well, but Lady Chiropta was insistent that I summon a male.” Said the lich.

“I thought that bringing over males was the whole point. Isn’t that what Chiropta said? That she was taking matters into her own hands to solve the gender imbalance?” you said.

“Bringing males, yes. But not in the same way that you were summoned. Your purpose, other than the spouse of young Emballandae and progenitor of the next Chiropta, is to serve as an anchor.”

“An anchor.”

“Yes.”

“…And what am I anchoring?”

“Your world.”

“You mean I serve as a connection to my world?” you asked.

“Yes. No matter how far a soul is dragged, no matter what boundaries it crosses, it still resonates and yearns to return to its place of origin. Finding your world was mere chance; there were hundreds of thousands of other viable dimensions to pull from. There are many dimensions similar to yours, but we can now form a more permanent attachment using your soul as a guideline.”

You stared at her. “You’re not planning to summon more humans, you’re planning to link dimensions…”

Lussazan nodded. “I see that your knowledge of ‘science fiction’ allows you to comprehend the concept. We, the other scientists and I, do intend to form a more permanent means of travel between dimensions. Your world is opportune: the billions of men would be enough to sustain both the mamono world and {Earth} indefinitely.”

“But isn’t that unnecessary? In the encyclopedia from my world, it said that Lilith and the Hero were close to casting the spell to allow incubi to be born.” You said.

“That was the case. However, the Chief God redoubled her efforts to block the spell. Order cities were redesigned to facilitate massive teltomancy spells capable of disrupting our own. In addition, the Order has become even more zealous and paranoid about rooting out mamono influence in human territories.” Said Lussazan.

“That doesn’t seem like that much of a problem. Doesn’t a baphomet have more magic in one finger than an entire platoon of Order mages?” you asked.

“Yes, but when their magic is channeled and focused through the ‘lens’ of the Chief God, they become more of a power source than a threat. The Chief God is using her minions to provide her with just enough energy to disrupt our Lady’s operations. She hopes that someday she will be able to our-breed mamono. An ill placed wish.”

“Can’t you just raid them?” you asked.

“Not without significant losses.” Said Datoll. “They’ve turned everything larger than a hamlet into a fortress.” 

“This still makes no sense. Even if the Order did wise up a little, and even if the Chief God did get a little tougher to deal with, Lilith is still winning, correct?” you said.

“I would not call subverting the power of a deity winning, but yes. Our Lady is slowly overpowering the Chief God.” Said Lussazan.  
“Then why bother summoning me at all!?” 

“Science.” 

“Prestige.”

Datoll and Lussazan looked at each other as they spoke over one another.

“When Lady Chiropta approached me, I recognized the challenge of summoning a viable human as the greatest problem any magician had ever faced. My curiosity was piqued, and I could not in good conscious turn my back on such an intriguing theory.” Said Lussazan.

“Lady Chiropta sees summoning humans as a means to raise her social status.” Said Datoll. “Being the one who financed the experiment to bring in hordes of exotic humans from another dimension would certainly land her in the annals of history next to Lilith herself.”

“And did either of you ever consider the morals of this? I had a family you know. To them, I just disappeared. They don’t even have a body to bury.” you said bitterly.

“Your concerns for your acquaintances was taken into consideration. It was one of the reasons that I agreed to promise you to Emballandae after your summoning.” Said Lussazan.

“What do you mean?”

“Once you have incubized, you will become a member of the undead. In your state of unlife, you will live long enough to see the portal to your realm open and reunite with your loved ones.” Said Lussazan.

“Oh…”

The idea that you may be able to see your friends and family again was somehow startling. It had already been months since your impromptu departure, and you had grown accustomed to living here. Though you still missed them, the people you knew had begun to fade from your mind as you met new people and made new connections. The hope of seeing them again that Lussazan kindled within you was comforting and distressing at the same time. Would they remember you? Would you remember them? How could you go back to your old life after so much time had passed? 

Would you even want to go back?

There was a good chance that you would have a family of your own by the time Lussazan finished her spell.

“Anon? Are you alright?” asked Datoll.

“Yeah. I’m fine. How long do you think it will take to make that ‘bridge,’ or whatever it is to my world?” you said.

“Unknown. With all the extra soul energy inside you, it will take longer than anticipated.” Said Lussazan.

“At least we know where all that magic comes from!” said Datoll.

“All the extra soul fragments?” you said.

“Yep. I reckon that even though there isn’t enough of anyone to influence your personality, you can still draw on their power to cast spells. That would explain why your magic depletes so fast…”

“Shouldn’t it deplete slower if I have MORE soul-stuff in me?”

“Not necessarily. Think of it like pouring water: instead of pouring out one big jug slowly, you’re pouring out a hundred little jugs all at once.” Said Datoll.

“…Okay.” You said. That didn’t make a whole lot of sense to you, but he was the magic expert. Allegedly… You never asked either of them if they had any formal qualifications but they obviously knew what they were doing.

“Don’t you worry about a thing Anon. We’ll have this all sorted out in a jiffy. In the meantime, why don’t you think about what I said? I think you’ll find the young lady much more amicable if you know what to say.” Said Datoll with a grin.

Lussazan looked at him. “What did you tell him?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Said Datoll. He winked at you.

Lussazan floated over to her husband and pressed herself against him.

“What have you been talking to him about?”

Datoll gulped and turned away. “Anon, I think you can go. Isn’t that right dear?” said Datoll.

Lussazan stared at him. You took the opportunity to excuse yourself from the lab before Datoll began screaming behind you. The shrieks morphed into moans as you power-walked up the stairs away from the chaos behind you. 

Your life was in their hands now.

~~~~~~

After fifteen minutes of wandering, you finally found someone to help you find your way back to Emballandae. Thanking the werebat that had guided you, you opened the doors to her room.

“Hey, I’m back. Did yo-“

You stopped mid quip upon seeing a young man bent over the love seat that Emballandae was seated on. Emballandae slammed the sketch book she had been showing him shut and tossed it aside.

“Err, that will be all, Lapan. Thank you. You may resume your duties.” Said Emballandae stiffly.

“Of course, Lady Emballandae. A pleasure to be of service.” Said the man with a smile and a bow. He picked up a tray with a teapot and cups and brushed past you out the door. “Sir.” He said bluntly as he passed you. He never looked up at you as he left.

“Who was that?” you asked Emballandae.

“Just a butler.” She said with a blush.

“Is he married to someone here? I’ve seen quite a few guys around.”

“They aren’t married. Mama keeps them around as a status symbol. We train them to serve their masters, and when the time comes, they are gifted to someone who has curried my mother’s favor.” Said Emballandae.

You walked around the seat to pick up the sketch book. Without opening it, you handed it to her.

“I don’t want that.” Said Emballandae nervously.

“Then I’ll just leave it here.” You said putting it on the coffee table. “Is there a reason that you don’t want me seeing your art?”  
Emballandae stiffened. “It’s not art! It’s just… a few drawings.”

“That counts as art.” You said.

“Don’t call it that.” Said Emballandae.

“It would pass for art in my world.” You said.

Emballandae perked up. “Did people in your world not use color when they drew?”

“They did. Most of the time. Some pictures were in black and white.”

“What did they draw?” said Emballandae leaning over the armrest.

“Who?”

“Artists in your world. You don’t talk very much about them in your lectures…”

“Everything they paint here, probably. But with less of a focus on sex.”

Emballandae frowned. “That’s most of our classical art… if the focus wasn’t on sex, what did the paintings depict, love?”  
“Sometimes. Sometimes it was scenery, or an important event. A good bit of my world’s classical paintings are of {Greek} mythology.”  
“What kind of styles did they use?” asked Emballandae.

“Do you mean how they were painted?”

“Yes. Did they look like this?” asked Emballandae. She rifled through some of the books around her and pulled one out. Flipping through the pages, she showed you a painting of a man and a demon mid coitus. The art was in the style of a classical, renaissance painting.  
“Yeah, that’s about what our classical art looked like. Again, sex was less of the focus…” you said. You subtly shifted to try and hide your erection. You would have to remember what book that was.

“If that was classical art, what was the more modern art like?” asked Emballandae.

“It was more abstract. I don’t know if this world has an equivalent. None of the paintings I’ve seen here are a good example.”  
“Did they look like this?” asked Emballandae. She pulled out a noticeably newer book from the top of a stack and opened it for you. This time, the picture was of a man and what looked like a minotaur or a holstaurus working on a farm. The lines that formed their arms and legs consisted of two waves, narrowing to a point like a drawing of a starfish. The land around them stretched at strange angles, and the crops they were harvesting were smears of color with no outlines. The couple stared lovingly at each other with eyes consisting of a dot and an eyebrow.

“Oh! So they do. I should have figured as much.” You said taking the book.

“Did people like that kind of thing?” asked Emballandae.

“Abstract art? Yes, they did. Not everyone like it, but I’d say a majority of the people who cared about art enjoyed the works of the great abstract artists.”

“Did you like it?”

You looked over at the vampire. She blushed and slumped into the seat to avoid your gaze.

“I did. Some modern art was too far out there for me, but most of it was good.” You said.

Emballandae relaxed. 

“Oh that’s so relieving to hear! I was worried that you were one of those tired old snobs who couldn’t appreciate anything they hadn’t seen a hundred times before.”

“Is that what you were worried about? That I wouldn’t like your art style?” you said.

Emballandae turned away. “It’s not that simple…”

There was a long pause. Emballandae stiffened and twisted to face you. “Listen, you are absolutely forbidden from telling anything I just told you to mother. Got it? If you do, I swear I’ll pitch your sorry peasant body to the zombies.” She said.

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on talking to her unless she orders me to.” You said.

“Good.”

Emballandae shuffled through some papers stuffed in one of the books to pull out a heavily annotated copy of one of your lectures.  
“N-now then, since you have to obey my commands, I order you to tell me more about some of these people you mentioned in this lecture.” Said Emballandae passing the stack to you.

You took the papers and flipped through them. It was the lecture that had been dominated by art students. Most of the lecture was answering questions about human art culture and important figures.

“May I sit?” you asked.

Emballandae used her magic to clear a space for you on one of the adjacent chairs.

“You may. Now, tell me about the one called {Selbadah Dully}.”

You looked through your notes to see that she had highlighted almost every famous artist you had listed. This might take a while…


	28. Chapter 28

“Master Anon? Dinner is served.” Said a voice through your door.

Stretching your arms, you put away the book that you had been translating and follow the maid to the dining hall.

“Have the past few days treated you well?” she asked.

“It was difficult at first, but things are much better now.” You said. 

True to Datoll’s word, Emballandae was actually tolerable when she was talking about her art hobby. She was prying and relentless with her questions, but it was better than being ordered around and condescended.

The maid opened the door and you entered the dining hall.

“Anon, how nice of you to join us.” Said Petropa from the head of the table. 

The massive table spanned most of the room. Despite its great length, there were only four chairs at one end surrounding the plates and trays of food. The remainder of the table was painfully barren. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” You said. You took the seat in front of the small platters of mana-treated food and began piling some onto your plate.

“Well, I must say I am pleasantly surprised. From what my darling daughter has been telling me, you’ve come to terms with your situation rather quickly. And here I thought that she would have to exsanguinate you a hundred times before you learned your manners.” Said Petropa.

You held your tongue and focused on the meal. Emballandae was easy enough to deal with as long as you kept her talking. Her mother on the other hand, was an entirely different animal. You had no idea how to manipulate her into being less of a cunt.

“Why is there a fourth chair today? Do we have a guest?” you asked, changing the subject.

Emballandae and Petropa shifted a bit in their seats.

“No, my husband will be joining us for dinner tonight.” Said Petropa.

Well that was surprising. You had never met the Chiropta patriarch. By now you had come to accept him as someone who was too busy to be seen. Unsure of how to respond, you let the meal continue in silence.

After a few minutes of quiet mastication, you heard the clatter of footsteps approaching the hall. Petropa poured herself another glass of wine and Emballandae began stacking some of her vegetables like cord-wood. You turned your attention to the door and waited.

“Sorry I’m late.” Said a man.

You could instantly tell that he was an incubus by the dull color of his skin. Though he radiated life and exuberance, his ashen complexion was more at home on a corpse.

“Ah! There he is! The man of the hour. It’s good to finally meet you.” He said striding towards you. 

You were barely able to stand up and wipe your face before he grabbed your hands and flailed your arms around. You grunted in pain as he nearly tore your arms out of their sockets.

“Ha ha! What a goofy greeting! Did people really do that in your world?” he asked. 

“Yes, but not like that.” You said. Even after his “handshake,” he was still holding onto your hands. You had to tug a few times before he got the hint and released you.

“Did I not perform it correctly? I’m sorry if that offended you…” he said.

Petropa cleared her throat loudly. For the first time, you saw her blush. She was already most of the way through her second glass of wine.

“Oh, right.” The man adjusted his neckwear over his waistcoat. “I am Cesbron Chiropta, husband to the esteemed Lady Petropa. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He said with a bow.

“You as well.” You said swallowing your food. So THIS is why Petropa was so adamant about keeping him hidden.

The man took the seat next to Petropa and began to serve himself. You noticed several sets of puncture wounds on his neck as he stretched across the table.

“Can I just say what an honor it is to have you here? To think that our humble castle would house the first extradimensional human!” said Cesbron.

“Dear, please.” Said Petropa. Her soft voice was almost a plea. You had to stifle a grin lest you incur her wrath.

The man looked at his wife and smiled sheepishly. “Of course.” He cleared his throat. “I had hoped to discuss a few things with you and my daughter with all of us here.”

“Alright…” you said.

“As I’m sure that you have been informed, you are to wed Emballandae and carry on the great Chiropta legacy.” Said Cesbron.

“That’s what I’ve been told.” You said. Though you did your best to restrain yourself, the reply was a bit more sarcastic than you meant. Cesbron didn’t seem to notice.

“Being the husband to a woman of status is not as simple as it sounds. There are certain duties that you must fulfill for her. As her husband, you are not only her treasured partner…”

Petropa nearly spat out her wine. She coughed into a napkin a few times and tried to hide her crimson face.

“… but also her right hand man. It is your duty to ensure her happiness. To the Chiropta family, that means administrative work. For the most part. There are other tasks that the men of the Chiropta family have but we can discuss those at a later time. It has come to the attention of my wife and I that you are not literate or fluent in Common language. Is that true?” said Cesbron.

“Well, kind of. I was getting pretty good at speaking Common until an incident at Admaz disrupted my lessons…” you said.

“Incident?” said Cesbron raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a long story…”

“Did someone try and rape you? Were you kidnapped?” asked Cesbron excitedly.

There was a thump from under the table and Cesbron winced.

“Perhaps you can tell me another time.” He said eyeing his wife with fear. “What is important is that you learn to speak and write as soon as possible so that you may be of service to my darling daughter when the time comes.” Said Cesbron.

Emballandae and Petropa were a blushing mess at this point. Neither could look at you or Cesbron.

“I understand. I’ve actually been trying to regain some of the skills I’ve lost in the interim.” You said.

“Wonderful! Starting tomorrow, you will be given instruction in the library on our language. In addition, you will also learn mathematics and other useful skills for serving as an aide to Emballandae.” Said Cesbron.

“You will also assist the librarians and Emballandae in learning your language. We will do our best to preserve your culture and language.” Said Petropa.

“Where is the library?” you asked.

“In the eastern wing. I shall send for someone to escort you.” Said Cesbron.

You nodded and finished the remaining food on your plate.

“Say Anon, I’ve read some of your notes, but I’ve always wanted to hear your language spoken in person. Could you say some stuff in {Englesh}?”

“Cesbron, dear, Anon is a very prideful human. You don’t want to offend him by asking him to speak in his language, it offends him.” Said Petropa.

“I don’t mind. Is there anything in particular you want to learn how to say?” 

Petropa looked at you with a betrayed expression. Her eyes begged you not to enable her husband.

Tough luck bitch.

“Uhh… Sing a song!” said Cesbron.

“A song?”

“Yes! Do you know any good love songs?” asked Cesbron.

Emballandae and Petropa perked up at the mention of “love song.” All three undead stared at you in anticipation.

“I’m not very good at singing…” you said.

“That’s alright, just do your best.” Said Cesbron.

You thought about what song to sing and pulled off your amulet of articulation. Doing your best to keep a tune, you sang the first verse of “Hallelujah.” It was the only thing that you could think of.

“Wow! What a strange sounding language!” said Cesbron as you slipped the amulet back on. “Your people have quite the range of sounds. And there’s a symbol for every noise you make? Every one?” 

“Some are a composition of letters. A “chuh” sound is {c} followed by {h}.” you said.

“Facinating.” Said Cesbron resting his chin on one of his hands. “What did that mean?”

“It’s a song about a man who loves a woman, even though she causes him grief. He can’t let go of her and can’t forget all of the good times they had in the past. I think…” you said.

“That’s so sad…” said Petropa. She looked like she was ready to cry.

“Well, you’ll have to write down the rest of it for us later. How are you feeling by the way? This realm has a much higher concentration of mamono mana than Admaz.” Said Cesbron.

“I’m well, thanks for asking. My body has been getting used to the demon realms over time. I don’t know how long it will be until I’m completely adjusted.”

“Good to hear. I was worried that you would become an emaciated husk if we brought you here. And are your accommodations suitable?” Said Cesbron.

“Yes. Everything you and Petropa have provided me has been wonderful.” You said.

“Wonderful! You know, I’m glad to see you eating. Our chefs had quite the time preparing meals that wouldn’t poison you, but by the look of your plate I’d say they made do.” Laughed Cesbron.

“Dear, I think Anon is finished with his meal. Why don’t we let him return to his quarters so that we can discuss our business.” Said Petropa.

“Hmm? Oh! Right. You too, sweetie. Go on back to your rooms.” Said Cesbron.

No need to tell you twice. Wiping your mouth, you stacked up your silverware and excused yourself. Emballandae followed you out the door as Petropa began to smack and scold her husband for his manners.

~~~~~

“You were supposed to listen to me! What if he starts to treat Emballandae like that?” whined Petropa.

“Like what?” asked Cesbron.

“Like an equal! He has to learn that as a human, his place is beneath that of a superior being.”

“Really? Because usually you’re beneath ME.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa flushed. “Y-You are so insufferable!”

“But you still love me.” Said Cesbron.

“…Hmph.” Petropa turned away.

“Come here, I know you’re hungry. You always get irritable when you haven’t eaten.” Said Cesbron lowering the collar of his shirt.  
Petropa glanced at his exposed neck and squirmed. “I won’t forgive you that easily…” she said.

“Not even if I stroke your hair while you do it?”

Petropa’s frown wobbled and broke into a smile.

“Alright, fine.” She said. 

Hurrying over to him, she sat across his lap and licked her lips. Cesbron embraced her and began to rub her back and run his fingers through her silky hair. Petropa cooed in pleasure as she began to make long strokes up and down his neck with her tongue to find his arteries. She knew where they were having been married to him for so long, but she savored the foreplay as much as the day they had met. Sinking her fangs into his skin, she let out a muffled moan of pleasure as Cesbron’s blood welled in her mouth. Cesbron let out an appreciative sigh as the feeling of warmth permeated his body. Gently massaging his wife’s back and scalp, they eased into each other. 

“Lady Petropa!”

The door burst open and a ghoul carrying a letter entered the room. Petropa gagged and pulled away from Cesbron’s throat spraying blood across herself and her husband as she coughed in surprise.

“Lady Petropa! A letter fo-“

“I’M A LITTLE BUSY HERE!!” Said Petropa blushing furiously.

The ghoul gulped and tried not to smile as Cesbron began to blot at Petropa’s face with a napkin while she swatted his hand away.

“With all due respect milady, I think you should see this.” Said the ghoul.

“I don’t care what that damn letter says! Leave this instant!”

“But it’s from Choerteris!”

Petropa and Cesbron stared at her.

“…Choerteris?” said Petropa softly.

“Oh! That’s wonderful! Bring it here.” Said Cesbron.

The ghoul trotted over and handed Cesbron the letter.

“Give me that!” said Petropa snatching the letter out of Cesbron’s hands.

“Hey!”

Petropa ignored her husband’s protest and tore open the letter. Her eyes darted across the page.

“No!” she gasped. She reread the page and began to tremble. “No, no, no, no, no!”

“What does it say?” asked Cesbron.

Petropa stared into the distance.

“She’s coming home…”

“Well, it’s about time! Here I thought that she may be gone forever! We sh-“

“Do you understand NOTHING?!” shrieked Petropa. Cesbron recoiled in his chair as she grabbed him by the collar and shook him back and forth. “If she comes home now, everything will be RUINED! Not to mention, once she finds out…” Petropa gulped.

“Pet, it will be fine. I’m sure that she’ll be ecstatic to see her mother.” Said Cesbron.

“NO! She’s going to beat me up once she finds out about Anon! I just know it!” said Petropa. Cesbron pulled her into a hug and she curled up in his arms.

“You know I won’t let that happen.” Said Cesbron kissing the top of her head. “When does it say she’ll be back?”

Petropa read the letter again.

“…In a week.” She said weakly.

“See? That’s plenty of time. I’m sure that if you and Lussazan have a mature and rational conversation about Anon that you can explain everything to each other.”

“And the letter was sent four days ago.” Said Petropa inspecting the envelope.

“Wow, she sure moves fast. Still, we have time to prepare her room and get everything in order for her arrival.”

Petropa finished reading the letter and let out a little squeak. “P.S. I know about the human.”

“Oh. Well, that makes things a bit more complicated, but I’m sure that she’ll come around once you have a chat with her. She’s your daughter after all, you just have to be firm with her.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa buried her face in Cesbron’s chest and let out a long whine.

“Aww…”

She pulled away from him to see the ghoul maid smiling at them. “G-get out of here you! Tell the guards to be on high alert! I want DOUBLE shifts to protect Anon. Choerteris is not to come within fifty feet of him. I want the castle to be ready for lockdown on a moment’s notice!”

The ghoul gave a small bow. “At once, milady.”

Petropa sighed as Cesbron cleaned the last of the blood off her face.

“I think you’ll need more than blood tonight.” Whispered Cesbron.

Petropa blushed and squeezed him. “…Carry me.”

Cesbron chuckled and lifted Petropa up and off of his lap. Savoring the sensation of her hair brushing up against his neck, he carted her off to their bedroom.

~~~~~~~

“The… plant was moving to sky?” you said.

Emballandae snickered. A look from the ghost instructor overseeing your lessons glared at her.  
“You read all of the symbols correctly, but the conjunction icon between ‘plant’ and ‘wood’ makes the word into ‘tree.’ The second part of the sentence has the ‘aspect of’ symbol and references the item from the beginning of the sentence.”

“The tree was tall?”

“Yes! Very good!” said the ghost.

“Congratulations, a whole sentence!” snorted Emballandae.

You bit your tongue and copied the sentence down onto your paper. Scribbling a quick note in English about what the sentence was and how it worked, you set to work translating the next one.

“He should learn how to write my name too.” Said Emballandae watching you write.

“Why is that?” you asked.

“Since you’ll be taking it once we’re married.” Said Emballandae giving you a confused look. “Isn’t that the way things work on Earth?”  
“Yes, but it was the woman who took the man’s name.” you said.

Emballandae thought for a minute. “Oh, yeah. I remember something about that now. What a strange world… How do you spell my name in your language anyways?”

You wrote her name out as best you could and handed it to her. It was always a bit strange to know that it was up to you to come up with the English spelling for everything you saw here, and that there was no one else to correct you if you spelled something the wrong way. If Lussazan really did link the worlds, it would be a real pain if some English majors started correcting the spelling of everything.

“Eh- no… {Eem-bee-ayy-luh-luh-ayy-en-dee-ayy-ee}… That doesn’t sound right at all!” said the tiny vampire.

“That’s because you didn’t pronounce the letters right. They make different sounds depending on what comes after and before them.” You said.

“What?! That’s ridiculous! It’s already a pain to have to sort these things into the right order, but now they change noises randomly too?” she said.

“It isn’t random…” you said calmly.

“Alright you two, back to work.” Scolded the ghostly librarian. 

You returned to your exercises and began practicing your symbols again.

The ghost looked up at the giant clock that hung in a chandelier in the center of the massive library.

“Goodness! Look at the time. I have to reorganize the financial report section. Can I trust you two to finish your work?” asked the ghost.

“Yes ma’am.” You said.

She smiled. “So polite! I think this castle could really benefit from having more people like you around, Anon.” She said as she hovered away.

“He’s not that polite!” called Emballandae.

The ghost ignored her and she sat back down in her chair with a huff. Closing the book she had been assigned, she pulled out a fresh piece of paper and began to sketch something.

The two of you sat in silence as your quills scratched away at the paper. Occasionally you would glance up to see what Emballandae was drawing.

Today, it was a sketch of a man in a butler’s outfit pouring a glass of wine for a voluptuous woman resting on a sofa. Her hand was outstretched with a wine glass, though she was looking away from the butler out a large window. Both characters had a warm smile on their face.

“What are you looking at?!”

Emballandae leaned forward to cover her drawing.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.” You said returning to your work.

“Well just keep your eyes over there, okay?” she said.

You wrote out a few more lines of text and set your quill down.

“What made you so interested in art anyways?” you asked packing up your things.

“What?”

“I was just curious. You seem very passionate about art. More so than any other topic.” You said.

“I just like art, okay? It’s a noble thing, your peasant mind wouldn’t understand.” She said.

“In the same way that a noble mind can’t understand anything other than classical art?” you said.

“No, that is COMPLETELY different. The problem is that they have the capacity to understand it, but they REFUSE to see new art as anything but an affront to creativity and the death of a paradigm. You see…”

She broke into a long-winded speech the politics and intricacies of art culture in Tomb Haven and the undead aristocracy.  
“… causing a cultural void and stymieing creative expression by creating a bottleneck through which only traditional art and artists can pass.”

“You like the creativity aspect of art, huh?” you said.

Emballandae stared at you. “That’s all you heard? Did you listen to any of what I just said?”

“I heard the rest, but I didn’t understand much of it.” You said.

“Creativity is the heart of art. So yes, in that sense, I do enjoy it.”

“I can tell.”

She gave you a skeptical look. “What do you mean?”

“You just seem like a creative person. The kind of person who resents being told to do something that they aren’t passionate about.”

“Passion has no place in high society.” Said Emballandae.

You chuckled. “What? Why not? Everyone’s passionate about something.”

“I can’t afford to waste my time indulging frivolous hobbies. The mamono of Tomb Haven will come to rely on me one day. I cannot fail them by succumbing to selfish fantasies.” Said Emballandae.

“Even if it means you are unhappy?” you asked.

Emballandae glared at you and packed up her things. “I’m leaving. You can find your way back to your quarters.”

She shoved her chair under the table and strode off out of the library.

With a sigh, you dipped your quill in an inkwell and finished the last of your work.

~~~~~~

Returning to your room was a bit of an ordeal, as it was the first time you had returned from the library. Thankfully, the butlers and mamono around the castle had come to expect your helplessness and were more than happy to guide you back to your room. Especially a certain zombie that made no attempts to hide her lingering gazes over your crotch and butt.

As you arrived at your room, you noticed that there were more guards than usual standing outside.

“Uhh, hi. Am I needed for something?” you asked one of them.

“No, Master Anon. Pay us no mind, Lady Petropa has merely assigned us here for your safety.” Said one of the guards.

You nodded and entered the room as they held the door for you.

A butler was busy hanging up some of your clothing in one of the spacious closets.

“Master Anon.” he said brusquely.

You recognized him as one of the servants you had seen in Emballandae’s room.

“Oh! It’s you! Lazar or something?” you said.

“Lapan, sir.” He said coldly.

You watched him go about his work.

“Is something wrong?” you asked.

“No sir.”

“…Because you seem a little tense…”

Lapan threw down the shirt he was holding and marched towards you.

“You may have the rest of the castle fooled, but I know the truth. Lady Emballandae has told me EVERYTHING. I think it’s despicable that someone as crass and ungrateful as YOU gets to be the one to marry such a beautiful and benevolent woman as Lady Emballandae. So you can just drop the act, because I see right through it.” He said thrusting a finger in your face.

“Act?”

Lapan huffed and returned to the laundry. “You would do better to marry one of the peasantry. I think we both know it would suit you far better.”

“Big talk coming from a butler.” You said.

Lapan clenched the last shirt he was hanging and stuffed it into a drawer. He shoved you aside with his shoulder on the way out, slamming the doors shut behind him.

What a bastard.

Walking to the window, you watched the castle courtyard shimmer in the endless twilight of the dark realm.

~~~~~~

“Anon.”

You put down the notebook you were writing in and listened. You thought you had heard a voice, but it was faint.

“Anon.”

Walking to the door, you opened up to find Lussazan staring up at you. The guards looked at you uncomfortably as the petite lich hovered between them.

“I require your presence for an experiment.” Said Lussazan.

“Yeah, alright. Let’s just get this over with.” You said. She floated down the hall and you trotted to keep up with her pace.

“So what are we doing today?” you asked.

“A blood sampling.”

“Well that’s easy enough. How much are you taking?”

“However much she wants.”

You slowed. “However much who wants?” you asked.

“The young Lady.” Replied Lussazan.

“Emballandae?” you asked.

“Yes.”

“What? Why?! I thought you said I was still too weak to be transformed.” You said.

“You are. But if the blood is consumed through a transfusion, demonic energy can be prevented from entering your soul.” Said Lussazan.

“So is she just going to suck it through a straw?” you asked.

“… It’s not a straw.”

Wonderful.

You entered the dining room where Emballandae and Petropa sat next to a chair supporting a large contraption. It looked like a small engine rather than something that would gently pull blood out of your body.

“Oh, I simply cannot WAIT to hear what he tastes like!” squealed Petropa. “To think my daughter will be the first mamono in history to taste the blood of an extra-dimensional.”

“Just get it over with and spare me the indignity of having to hear a critique of how I taste.” You said, rolling up your sleeve.

“Hmph! Rather crass for something that is no more than sustenance.” Said Petropa.

“You should be honored that one of such high status is even interested in tasting your essence.” Said Emballandae.

“Can you stab faster?” you asked Lussazan as she prodded your arm looking for a vein. She gave you a look that told you she didn’t want to be here either, but you were all in this together. Wiping your arm clean, she inserted a needle and twisted a knob on the machine.  
It hummed to life and a stream of blood meandered up the tube into the device. Emballadae held a second with a mouthpiece attached to it. It looked almost like a hookah pipe. You watched as the blood poured back out of the machine towards her lips. Emballandae and Petropa squirmed in excitement as the fluid reached her.

As the first drop of blood entered Emballandae’s mouth, her eyes went wide and she let out a resounding gag. Tearing the tube out of her mouth, she coughed into her arm and hammered her chest.

“Well? What did it taste like? Did some go down the wrong pipe?” asked Petropa with a hint of concern.

“It’s a little bitter... and spicy. Kind of sour too. I’m fine.” Wheezed Emballandae. She took another small sip and gagged. Her face contorted into a sickening grimace as her eyes watered.

“Don’t force yourself…” you said.

“S-shut up!” said Emballandae. She reached for the tube again, but pulled away with a wretch as she brought it to her mouth.

“Guess I fail the taste test.” You said.

Petropa’s powerful hand clenched your shoulder. You remembered that unlike her daughter, there were consequences to being a snarky asshole in front of her.

“The essence of a man is an acquired taste. I’m certain that you will come to enjoy the taste of his mana in time.” Said Petropa, squeezing you for emphasis at ‘acquired taste.’

Lussazan finished scribbling some notes and turned the machine off.

“No! Wait! I’m not done yet…” said Emballandae weakly.

“There there dear, Anon will always have more blood for you. You can have more when you’re feeling better.” Said Petropa.

Emballandae wiped her eyes and nodded.

“Now then, why don’t we-“

“Lady Petropa!”

A guard burst into the room.

“What is it? Can’t you see that we’re busy?” asked Petropa.

“Yes milady, and I’m sorry to bother you, but you requested to be updated whenever there was more information about the urgent matter you briefed the guards on earlier.” Said the dullahan.

Petropa stood up. “Anon, why don’t you go back to your room. Actually, you’ll be moving. I need that guest room for someone else. The maids will move your things.” Said Petropa striding over to the guard.

The undead lifted her severed head to her mistress’ ear and whispered something.

“Already?! Damn…” said Petropa pounding her fist on the nearby table.

“What’s wrong dear?” asked Cesbron.

“Nothing. Guard, pack whatever you can of Anon’s possessions and move him to the west tower. Dear, you’re coming with me. Emballandae…” Petropa stared at her daughter. “Uhh, I guess you can have the rest of the day to yourself.”

The guard hurried over to you and pulled you out of the chair. “This way master Anon.” she said dragging you away.

“What? Where are we going?” you asked.

“Your new room.”

“What about my things? Should I go pack?”

“Your things will be delivered to your new quarters. This way please.” Said the dullahan turning up a flight of stairs. More guards moved broke away from their posts to flank you as you were ushered deeper into the castle. You had never been here before…

“Is something wrong? What was the ‘urgent matter’ you were talking about earlier?” you said.

“That’s classified. Rest assured master Anon, no harm will come to you.”

The guard’s sincere words made you feel a bit better about the sudden relocation, but you knew that there was absolutely some sort of mamano out there that posed a serious threat to your pelvis and life. Whatever it was, it must be absurdly powerful to spook Petropa and the guards.

“Is it a dragon zombie?” you asked.

“No. Now please, no more talking.” Said the dullahan.

You sighed and accepted that you weren’t getting anymore information out of the now platoon of guards accompanying you. The sound of clattering armor filled the hall as you delved deeper into the fortress.

~~~~~~

“Of all the times that bitch comes back…” muttered Petropa.

“Dear! I know you and her have had your differences, but she’s still our daughter.” Said Cesbron.

“Not the way she acts! All I asked of her was a bit of respect. A touch of dignity. An ounce of grace. But no! She had to ruin my reputation! Tomb Haven still laughs when they hear her name.” said Petropa.

“You can’t make her into someone she isn’t. The sooner you accept her for who she is, the sooner you two can start loving each other again.” Said Cesbron.

“Love. Hah! She hates me. And she makes damn sure that I know it.” Muttered Petropa.

“You know that isn’t true. I’m sure that if you stopped nagging her about drinking blood that you would become friends in no time.”  
“I’m not interested in becoming ‘friends’ with her. She has stained this family’s glorious image for too long! If she tries to interfere with our plans…”

“She only saves humans that she thinks need rescuing. Are you finally admitting that keeping that young man trapped in a castle against his wishes may be a bit immoral?” asked Cesbron.

“Nonsense! A human should be thankful that I didn’t crush him under heel for his insolence. The fact that the Chiropta family even acknowledges his presence is more than he deserves.” Said Petropa.

“So that’s how you feel.” Said Cesbron.

“Yes.”

“Well try not to destroy too much of the castle when you fight with her this time, alright?”

“Wh- What do you mean ‘this time?’ There won’t be any damage. Choerteris will fly in with that insufferable bravado of hers and I’ll crush her in an instant. Just like last time.” Said Petropa.

“Maybe unlife has skewed your sense of time, but the last time you two fought, it took three days of nonstop fighting before I could get you two to agree to a truce…” Said Cesbron.

“And she was inches from death the entire time.”

“You hid behind me and begged me to stop the fight because you were tired and hungry.” Said Cesbron.

“I did not! I had far more important things to do than waste time brawling like a savage with my daughter.” Said Petropa.

“Of course… So is Choerteris coming here or not? What did the guard tell you in the dining hall?”

“Apparently Choerteris ran into a harpy that owed her a favor, and arrived here sooner than we anticipated. She’s at the front gate now.” said Petropa.

“Really?! That’s wonderful!” said Cesbron.

“No, it isn’t. With her damnable senses I’m sure that she’ll be able to find Anon no matter what dank crevice we stuff him into. And once she finds him, that insufferable sense of justice means that she’ll bail him out without any regard for the bigger picture. Damn her! How many times must she sully my name?!”

Cesbron and Petropa walked down the last flight of stairs to the main entrance. Petropa adjusted her clothing and took a deep breath.

“I know you insist on coddling her, but remember this: she is NOT welcome here at this time. We do not want her here, and she does not want to be here. Confirm nothing of Anon’s presence. And for the love of Lilith, don’t gush over her again. It’s embarrassing.” Said Petropa.

Cesbron nodded and they exited the castle.

Every guard at the gate had their weapons raised and pointed at a single figure standing at the center. She had a simple cloth bag slung over her shoulder, and an estoc hung from her ragged leather belt.

“Well, well, well. Here I thought that you may have finally disowned me.” Said Choerteris.

“Choerteris.” Said Petropa.

“Mother.”

There was a palpable tension as the two stared in silence at each other.

“Choerty! I missed you so much! Come here!” said Cesbron breaking the silence.

The guards looked at Petropa for instruction. She covered her face to hid her blush and waved for them to open the gate.

Cesbron ran forwards to embrace his daughter.

“Hi daddy!” said Choerteris returning the hug.

“You should write more often! I was worried that you got hurt!” said Cesbron.

“It’s hard to send mail when I’m on an expedition.” Said Choerteris.

“Well you’ll have to tell us all about it over dinner! I can’t wait to hear about all the exciting adventures you’ve been on.” Said Cesbron.

“Dear!” exclaimed Petropa.

“What?”

Petropa clenched her teeth. “Fine. She can come in. But she’s leaving as soon as she’s had a meal, understood?”

“Your mother missed you so much too. She would never write because she’s too embarrassed to make it seems like she cares. Every time I got a letter back from you she would cuddle up behind me and read it over my shoulder.” Said Cesbron.

Choerteris giggled. “I thought she may have had a hand in some of the questions you sent.”

Cesbron and Choerteris laughed and talked as they wandered away from the gate into the castle. Petropa bent over at the knees and clutched her head.

“Lady Petropa?” asked a guard nervously.

The vampire looked up at her with tired eyes.

“Shouldn’t we follow them?”

Petropa sighed. “I suppose we should.” Standing up, she slowly followed her husband and daughter into the castle.


	29. Chapter 29

“It turns out that the ruins were actually some sort of armory, not a laboratory. There were dozens of golems in various states of assembly that we encountered as we pushed deeper into the complex.” Said Choerteris.

“Were they turned?” asked Cesbron.

“No, unfortunately not. The whole factory was sealed like a vault; almost untouched by mamono mana.” Said Choerteris.

“What a shame.” Said Cesbron.

“Yes, but most of them were incomplete. I only had to deal with one that had a head. The rest were just torsos and limbs. The real trouble began when a mana revenant showed up.”

“Ghosts don’t sound like the kind of thing that would give you trouble. What was so special about this one?”

“This particular revenant had been leeching mana from the reserve tanks used to fuel the golems. It was the size of a house and had a temper to match. Smart too. Usually they have a one-track mind after being isolated for so long, but this one was clever enough to throw things and even activate more golems in the room.” Said Choerteris.

“How did you kill it?” asked Cesbron.

“One stab at a time. After I had drained enough spirit energy from it, I had a mage help me trap it in one of the mana tanks when it went back to feed.”

“Clever. Did the rest of the expedition go well?”

“I suppose. It was embarrassing to have been so wrong about the nature of the ruins, but I did manage to catalogue some interesting specimens and loot. I opted for an early leave to make sure that everyone was safe. If the revenant broke out of the container, it would put the team in danger. So we cracked the place wide open to let mamono mana in. I contacted a dark matter and she said that she and her husband would ensure any remaining golems or ghosts in the ruins were converted.” Said Choerteris.

“Well, that sounds like quite an adventure!” said Cesbron.

Petropa stared up at the ceiling. Her head hung over the back of the chair as she listened to her daughter drone on and on about her adventures. She knew that in a few weeks she would hear about all those adventures again when Cesbron showed her the article about her in the archaeological magazine that he subscribed to specifically for the pieces on Choerteris. She let out a sort groan.

“Are you feeling alright mother?” asked Choerteris.

Petropa straightened her neck and looked at her. “I’m fine. Are you finished with that?” she said pointing to the empty platter of food in front of Choerteris. “It looks like you are. I’ll have someone come and pick that up for you. It was wonderful to see you, have a safe trip back to whatever dusty hole you climbed out of this time.”

“You and I both know this trip is more than just a friendly visit.” Said Choerteris. She folded her hands on the table. “Where is the human?”

“That is none of your concern.” Said Petropa.

“This is too far, even for you. I can’t believe you kidnapped someone from a different dimension!” shouted Choerteris.

“You understand nothing!” retorted Petropa. “It was a summoning. He is infinitely blessed that beings ever his greater so much as laid eyes on him.”

“Hah! Is that what you are? ‘Ever his greater?’ That’s big talk coming from an old leech!”

“ENOUGH! Both of you! Why can’t you two just behave like a family for once?” said Cesbron.

“I tried that. We both know what happened.” Said Choerteris.

“All you had to do to redeem yourself was drink the blood. A pity you couldn’t see past your spite to realize your potential.” Said Petropa.

“I will NEVER drink blood.” Said Choerteris. “I don’t need to drink to fulfil my potential, and I certainly don’t need to drink to ‘redeem’ myself. If you wanted a full-blooded daughter you shouldn’t have fucked dad before you turned him.”

Petropa screamed and covered her face. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! DON’T TALK ABOUT IT!”

“I’LL TALK ABOUT WHAT I WANT, HUMAN FUCKER!” shouted Choerteris.

Cesbron caught Petropa as she lunged across the table at Choerteris. With practiced grace, he swung Petropa away and kicked Choerteris’ hand away from her sword in one movement.

“Choerteris, go to your room.” Said Cesbron over his shoulder as he grappled his hysteric wife.

“She started it!” said Choerteris.

“I don’t care! Go!”

Choerteris muttered a string of gripes as she stormed out of the dining room. Petropa regained her composure and buried her head into Cesbron’s chest.

“Now make her leave.” She said.

“No. You said you would behave yourself!” said Cesbron.

“She was being mean!”

“Since when did you care if anyone said anything mean to you?”

“I’m her mother! She’s obligated to listen to me! All I want is for her to live up to her birthright and stop acting like some mud-spackled plebian.” Said Petropa.

“You have to give up on the notion that she’ll be the woman you want her to be. Just let her live her life and support her choices.” Said Cesbron.

“Her choices always end up in me being stabbed with that sword of hers!” shouted Petropa. “And this time there is more at stake than her societal status. Anon is Emballandae’s property; we cannot just let Choerteris abscond with our daughters beloved fiancé!”

“I’m not really sure about the whole beloved part…” whispered Cesbron under his breath.

“Not to mention that Lussazan still needs him for her experiments. It is imperative that he remain here.” Said Petropa.

“Don’t worry. There are hundreds of guards in the castle. Anon isn’t going anywhere.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa pulled away from Cesbron and began pacing. “He isn’t without help. But that savage is too obstinate to remain in our care without a fight. No matter what we do, he still sees our benevolence as ‘keeping him hostage.’ I fear that he is more clever than he appears. If he has been cozening us into a sense of complacency, he will no doubt use the arrival of Choerteris to free himself.”

“I don’t think Anon can fight hundreds of highly trained soldiers…” said Cesbron.

“No? He’s done it before. Made a fool out of my army in front of that backwater hamlet. You’ve seen how much mana he’s carrying, yes? Alone, he isn’t much of a threat. But if Choerteris were to assist him they would be able to compensate for the other’s weakness.” Said Petropa.

She held her hands behind her back and looked out one of the massive windows. Lights flickered in the windows of the castle. One of those light’s was Anon’s room.

“He could be plotting his escape this moment…”

~~~~~

You inhaled another cheese cracker from the snack tray and stifled a burp. Coughing, you took a long sip of water to quench your dry mouth.

“These things are great.” You mused as you continued to burn through the platter.

“So glad you enjoy them, sir.” Said Lapan with a forced grin.

Man, he was really killing the mood.

Emballandae shifted uncomfortably on her chair. The three of you had sat in awkward silence for the better part of an hour as you stuffed your face as a reprieve from conversation with either of them. Your agreement with Petropa stipulated that you had to be around her daughter, but you’d be damned if that meant you were going to go above and beyond to make small talk with her.

It was actually kind of fun to watch Emballandae and Lapan glance at each other and look away. It did make you feel like a dick though. No doubt they would be enjoying each other’s company much more with you out of the picture.

“So, what’s with all the ruckus? I haven’t been shuffled around like that since I got to Admaz.” you said.

“Lady Petropa has made it clear that information about current affairs is to be disseminated on a need to know basis.” Said Lapan.

“If it concerns my life or my pelvis, I’d say I need to know.” You said.

Emballandae rolled her eyes and Lapan remained silent.

“Whatever. I’m sure I’ll find out when it blasts through the doors and kills me.” You said.

“Momma wouldn’t let any harm come to you. You’re perfectly safe.” Said Emballandae.

“What about you?” you asked. “Would YOU come to my rescue, darling?” you said batting your eyelashes at her.

Emballandae’s face turned crimson and she huffed out a string of half completed expletives. The muscles in Lapan’s jaw were clenched so tightly that you were worried for the safety of his teeth. And yours for that matter…

“You! I-! How dare yo-! I would NEVER bother to save YOU. In fact, I would go out of my way to get RID of you.” Seethed Emballandae.

“What a coincidence! Now’s your chance.” You said.

“Hah! Maybe I will! I’m sure she’s here for you anyways.” Huffed Emballandae.

“Who’s this ‘she’ you’re talking about?”

Emballandae looked at you, and then over to Lapan. He gave her a concerned look and a small shrug. Emballandae gulped wrung her hands.

“Uhh… I can’t say.”

“Why not?” you asked.

“Momma would be mad.” Said Emballandae.

“Do you know who ‘she’ is?” you asked Lapan.

“Yes.”

“…And would you be so inclined as to tell me whom that may be?”

“No.”

Of course not.

“Well, whatever. I’m sure I’ll find out what it is when it comes for me.” You said grabbing another slice of cheese.

You walked over to the window and looked out into the courtyard. What could be out there? Initially your mind jumped to dragon zombie. The poor thing probably smelled you and was about to break the castle open trying to find you. But that didn’t make sense. Getting hit with dragon breath would be a death sentence. There was no way that Petropa would let you anywhere near a window. Whatever it was, whoever it was, Petropa was confident that she could keep it out with guards. But if guards could stop her, why weren’t there more of them? Normally a mamono would make a beeline for a man on instinct. For all you knew it may not even be an undead. Whatever you were being hunted by had enough intelligence and willpower to restrain itself.

Hunted.

You ate another cracker. This was the first time you had actually been stalked by something. Moralla’s attempt to bind you was similar, but this felt different. The juxtaposition of physical danger and magical danger. Only one was instinctually ingrained in you.  
Emballandae showed something to Lapan and they quietly began talking. 

A low rumble reverberated between the walls of the castle. It looked like it was going to rain. 

~~~~~

It would seem that Petropa expected nothing but the best from you, even when your life was in danger. The next day you were ushered back to the library under guard to continue your studies. Learning subjects that didn’t exist on Earth was hard enough. Trying to learn with a pack of restless guards surrounding you was impossible.

“Why do the guards have to be in here?” said Emballandae. She was as frustrated as you were with the constant clanking and shifting.

“Apologies milady, but your mother gave us strict orders to be near the human at all times.” Said a zombie. She looked tired. You weren’t sure if that was because she was sleepy or undead. It was probably rude to ask…

You finished the last of your half-assed scribbles and handed them to the ghostly librarian for appraisal.

“Do you know how long… “she” will be here?” asked Emballandae glancing at you as she emphasized the word.

“No, milady. Your mother is working to resolve the situation as we speak.” Said the zombie.

Emballandae scoffed. “Figures. That nosey bitch can’t mind her own business.”

“Excuse me ma’am, but I think I would be safer knowing who and what you were talking about.” You said courteously. One of the things you had picked up on at Admaz was how weak mamono were to charm. Even the married ones couldn’t help themselves when you asked nicely.  
“I’m sorry, but Lady Petropa has made it clear that information about current affairs is to be disseminated on a need to know basis.” Said the zombie.

You rolled your eyes. Sounds like they all read from the same script. Whatever.

You dipped your quill in and out of an inkwell while you waited for your work to be graded. From the hallway, there was a brief bout of shouting. The guards drew their weapons and formed a semicircle around you. Emballandae gulped and scooted her chair a bit further away from you. Traitor.

The noise in the hall subsided and there were three loud pounds on the door. The guards around you sighed in relief and relaxed. A ghoul from outside burst into the room and hurried over to the pack of armor-clad undead. Whispering something in the ear of their leader, the zombie in charge ordered several of her troops to close the curtains.

“What was that about?” you asked.

The zombie ignored you and continued to face the doorway.

“Anon, come now. You know more than this. Do you need another course on basic symbols?” asked the ghost librarian handing back your paper.

“No, sorry. I’m just a bit distracted today.” You said.

Try as you may, you just couldn’t focus on your work as she tried to explain her corrections to you.

~~~~~

Choerteris leaned back from the telescope she had set up in her room. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she stroked her cheekbones as she tried to process what she had seen.

“Is that what mother has been hiding? An albino?” she asked one of the stoic guards blocking the exit of her room.

No. It wasn’t quite an albino. If Petropa wanted her daughter to have an albino she would have bought one years ago.

“I have to admit, I am impressed. The guard wasn’t nearly as competent last time I was here. But closing the curtains won’t hid the truth from ME.” Said Choerteris. She opened the door and stepped into the hall.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Choerteris ran her hand over the pommel of her estoc. “Just getting some fresh air, Goeth. Is that a problem? Has mother restricted my breathing as well as my movement?”

“You’re lucky Lady Petropa even lets you stay here after all the fights you two have had. I think a couple of chaperones are more than fair considering the circumstances. And you still have access to plenty of places; just not the ones that we restrict.” Said Goeth.

“Places like the one with that human in it?”

Goeth narrowed her eyes. “So you saw him.”

“Hard not to notice him.” Shrugged Choerteris.

“Choerteris, I don’t want to fight you. I’ll say that upfront. I’ve never had a problem with you. But I cannot disobey an order form your mother. Whatever you’re thinking, please just forget about it.” Said Goeth.

“You act like I’m about to do something rash.”

“Aren’t you?”

“It certainly sounds like the stakes call for it.”

Goeth sighed. “I suppose you won’t listen to me when I say that everything is under control…”

“That’s the problem Goeth, things are under HER control. I don’t want to fight you either. And in all honesty, I don’t know if I’ll need to. Just tell me about the human. If he’s happy, and things are just as well and good as you and mother say they are, then I’ll be off.” Said Choerteris.

“You know I’m forbidden from telling you anything.” Grumbled Goeth.

“And is that edict out of spite, or is it because mother know that if I find out I’ll skewer her?” asked Choerteris.

Goeth chuckled. “Probably both. But you’d stick her for just about anything, wouldn’t you?”

Choerteris snorted and sighed. “No matter. I haven’t met a secret I couldn’t crack yet. Is my training equipment still around?”

“Third floor. Just like you left it.” Said Goeth.

Choerteris nodded and headed for the stairs. Goeth followed her, along with a dozen other guards assigned to watch over the prodigal daughter.

~~~~~

Dinner was unbearably tense. You never thought you would say it, but even Petropa’s backhanded compliments would be better than this. You watched as Emballandae pushed some of her food around her plate as Petropa looked at the doors for the hundredth time. Cesbron watched her as he ate his meal.

“How much longer is this going to go on?” you asked.

Petropa jumped and pounded a fist on the table. “Don’t startle me like that!” She took a deep breath. “The situation is being resolved as we speak. I assure you that a state of normalcy will be restored within a week.”

“A week? Is it more than one monster? How has an entire castle full of guards not found her yet?” you asked.

Cesbron chuckled. Petropa glared at him. “Everything is under control, human.” She said to you.

“Yeah, that’s what you said yesterday too. And the day before that. But I haven’t slept in the same room for more than one night in a few days. So I’m sure that you’ll forgive me if I’m a bit skeptical that everything is ‘under control.’” You said.

“You dare speak to me in such a manner?” she unfurled her wings and stood up.

"I damn well dare if you're going to keep a potentially life threatening situation hidden from me out of pride! Just tell me what and where the damn thing is and I'll blast it myself if you're too chicken, you fucking bat!"

A vein bulged to the verge of bursting in Petropa's forehead. She clenched and unclenched her fists as her eyes bulged. "It is long past due that you suffer for your impudence.”

Raising one of her hands, you felt yourself rise out of your chair. Flailing to keep your balance, Petropa lifted you higher.

“Suffer.”

Your arms and legs shot out as she splayed you midair. You groaned as Petropa began to accost your body with some type of magic. It felt like your limbs were asleep. The tingling sensation flooded your body. Your thinking became distorted as lust clouded your mind. Suddenly, you felt unbearably aroused. Your body was on fire. All you could think about was sex.

“Dear, put him down!” said Cesbron.

Petropa unceremoniously dumped you onto the floor in a heap. With shaking hands, you tried to undo your clothes and free your raging erection. Emballandae was right there. All you had to do was reach her.

“I don’t think so.” Said Petropa. She lifted you up with her magic, binding your hands above your head. You kicked and shouted as your half-undone pants sagged around your waist.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Said Cesbron.

“Please. I’ve waited too long to do this already. It was past time that he learned to respect his superiors.”

“And what if someone takes advantage of him like that? He’s still too weak to handle that much demonic energy.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa snorted. “I’ll send him to Lussazan after dinner to let him cool off. For now, let’s just enjoy the show. It’s been far too long since we’ve been to a dinner theater.”

Petropa sat back down and resumed her meal as you struggled against your magical restraints. The pain in your crotch was unbearable, but you were unable to release. Cesbron and Emballandae watched in fear as you thrashed.

“Lady Petropa?”

The vampire blenched as a guard appeared behind her.

“What is it?!” shouted Petropa. “Can’t you see I’m busy?!”

“We have a bit of a situation…”

~~~~~~~

“Husband, I’m ready for you.” Said Lussazan. She softly panted as she shed her cloak in front of Datoll.

“Ready for me?” asked Datoll. He was always happy to please his wife, but she had never asked for sex like that before.

“The drink you made for me… You must tell me what herbs you used later. I feel…” she let out a soft hum and embraced her husband.

“Drink? I didn’t make an-“

Datoll was silenced as Lussazan pulled him into a deep kiss. Using her magic, she levitated them away, leaving a trail of Datoll’s clothes leading towards their bedroom.

Choerteris watched as the couple floated past her hiding place, already beginning to thrust against each other. Slipping past, she hurried into the laboratory.

Her mother may hate humans, but she certainly wouldn’t let one die on her watch. If there was a human here who wasn’t a butler, then Lussazan must have performed at least a cursory assessment of his health. Sifting through stacks of papers on Lussazan’s desk, Choerteris scanned the documents for anything that looked like a medical record. The lich had the uncanny capability of keeping her notes perfectly organized, but having no method of organizing those clusters of data. Folders and files pertaining to a project would all be piled on top of each other in a random place. Checking the last drawer, Choerteris was surprised to find it locked. Lussazan would never bother with something that interrupted her work like that, unless it was mandated.

Pulling out one of her lockpicking implements, Choerteris quickly opened the drawer.

Pulling out the first hanging folder, she read the name on the tab.

“Project Canyon Spring…” she muttered.

Opening the folder, she pulled out the first few pages of notes. It was nothing but mathematical equations and theoretical magic. Teltomancy and summoning on a massive scale. The rest of the folder was equally unimportant to her search.

Putting it back, she pulled out the next folder.

“Project Snow Cairn… What were you working on, you crazy corpse? You wouldn’t just lock things away like this…”

Flipping past the first few pages of initial data, Choerteris wrenched a page out of the stack. There he was. A portrait of the man she had seen in the library was attached to a thick stack of data about his magical abilities and health.

“Let’s see… Anon? What kind of name is that?”

She squinted as she read more. “Body cannot tolerate large doses of mamono mana? …Unknown if all humans from other world share same vulnerability?!”

The rest of the folder contained progress reports detailing his heath and wellness. Most of the notes in the file mentioned that the data had been provided to Lussazan by someone in Admaz named Hicera. What was he doing in Admaz? A human his age should have been taken if he had been living in a mamono city before he was taken by Emballandae. And Admaz didn’t have the slave markets to sell a rare human specimen. 

Choerteris flipped to the back of the folder. The first page in the file was a report by Lussazan.

“Subject one has been confirmed to be alive. Lilith be praised. Allegedly recovered from south-eastern jungles by scholar Magnara (succubus). Lady Petropa has been monitoring the situation through intermediaries in Admaz. As of this report, he is unharmed and has not been claimed. Tomb Haven forces will not be able to recover the subject for some time; most individuals in the city are still unconscious after emergency measures taken during Project Canyon Spring.”

Choerteris pulled out the first folder and began to read the notes again. “No. No, no, no! Please tell me you didn’t…”

She reached the last page of Project Canyon Spring.

“Summoning has failed. Subject was not able to be transported to the laboratory as planned. Subject one is suspected to have entered this world at an unknown location. As there is no indication to where the subject may have been, and in consideration that the subject was traveling at speeds that would have resulted in an unsustainable impact to the human body, the subject is deemed unrecoverable. There will be no further experimentation into the summoning of extradimensional humans.”

The date was much later than the previous entry, only a few months ago. Just before the first report on Project Snow Cairn.  
Choerteris slumped back into a nearby chair as she began to read more the notes. Someone was DEFINITELY getting stabbed for this…

~~~~~

“YOU LOST HER?!” shrieked Petropa.

You gasped as she released you and you collapsed onto the ground. Your hips moved in small involuntary spasms as the lingering sex magic dissipated out of your body. Finding a new pair of pants was probably a good idea…

“How could you lose her?!” asked Petropa shaking the guard.

“I-I… uh… She slid out a window.” Stammered the zombie.

“Why didn’t you stop her?!”

“The window was fifteen feet off the ground. And on the eight floor…”

“What do we do, momma?! She’s coming for Anon, right?” asked Emballandae.

Petropa released the guard and began to pace. “Yes, she’s already figured out about him. But she doesn’t know that much about him or his situation yet. Chances are that she’ll need more information before she’s ready to make her move…”

“I suppose talking to her is out of the question…” said Cesbron.

“There is too much at stake for talking! Anon is our daughter’s property; that is nonnegotiable!” said Petropa.

“Well… I’m sure that if Anon was taken that we could find another suitor for her.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa stared at him. “Absolutely not! I haven’t invested decades of mana and enough money to build a new city to just let that worm slip through my fingers!”

“Yes, you’re clearly very attached to him…” muttered Cesbron.

“Damn that girl. She’s forced my hand.” Petropa pinched the bridge of her nose as she contemplated what to do next. 

“You, guard. Get me Lussazan. And tell every guard in the castle to be on high alert. If they see Choerteris, report it to me   
IMMEDIATELY.”

“Should we engage her, Lady Petropa?” asked the zombie.

“Yes, you can slow her down if you can, but make sure that one of you passes the information along. Your top priority is keeping me informed about her whereabouts.”

The zombie frowned at the implication of "slow her down," but hurried off to relay the orders.

Anon groaned and began to lift himself up with trembling arms. His pants were adorned with a dark ring around his crotch from the moisture in his pants. For a moment, Petropa briefly considered if it was worth all the effort to marry this specimen into her bloodline. Is this really the best she could find for her daughter?

“Goddamn... winged cock lamprey…” muttered Anon as he stood up.

Petropa swatted him back to the ground with her magic.

Fuck it. She would keep him around just to torture the brat at this point. Having Emballandae drain him and ride his exsanguinated body through the mattress would be a fitting punishment. In no time, he would be another groveling incubus begging to please his mistress.

“Piece of shit mosquito…”

Petropa slammed him back into the carpet. Worst case scenario she could sell Anon to a slave market and make a mint. If she got an auction going between some wealthier dragons, she could recoup all the money spent financing the project.

“Eurgh…”

Petropa blasted Anon again while daydreaming about all the nice places she could vacation if she sold him. She had the finances to travel wherever she pleased, but it had been almost a year since she’d had a break from trying to control the situation.

“Momma, please! You’re going to hurt him!” Pleaded Emballandae.

“Hmm?” said Petropa.

Anon lay face down on the carpet. His clothes were dirtied and singed, and there was a faint trail of smoke rising from his back. Petropa’s nose curled as she became aware of the scent of burnt hair filling the room.

“Whoops…”

“Oh, Choerteris is going to LOVE this.” Said Cesbron.

Petropa hurried over to him and picked him up. Using one hand to hold the back of his shirt collar, she used the other to brush some of the dirt off of him.

“He’s fine. This is just a bit of histrionics.” Said Petropa. “I’m sure Choerteris will see that, right?”

Emballandae squirmed and Cesbron shook his head.

Petropa’s hands tightened around Anon’s shirt. 

“Bah! No matter. I’ll deal with her myself if she tries to get in the way. She may have my blood, but only half of it! I’ll show her the REAL power of a full-blooded vampire. Now where is Lussazan? That reticent floozy is never around when I need her…”

~~~~~

A ghost levitated through Lussazan’s door without a word of warning. Being able to pass through walls had a way of making someone forget to knock.

“Lussazan! Lady Petropa requests your presence at once! I-“

The ghost was cut short as Lussazan moaned. She was riding Datoll in a way that didn’t seem possible for someone with no pulse.  
“Uhh… yeah. So, that’s the situation so you need to finish up and-“

Lussazan clenched Datoll’s hands in her own and arched her back as she came again. Even though she shivered and slowed, she never stopped thrusting against her husband.

“Well, that seems like a good stopping point. Let’s go find Lady Petropa now.”

Lussazan leaned forwards to kiss Datoll as she began grinding her hips against him in slower more deliberate circles.

“Alright, look. If you don’t stop, I’m going to have to drag you off of him.” Said the ghost.

Lussazan sighed and swung her legs off of her husband. She floated over to her cloak trailing a glistening streak from the bed. Slipping it on, she adjusted the front and looked at the ghost.

“Let’s get this over with…”

~~~~~~

Choerteris watched a patrol of guards hurry past her. Getting to Anon would be much harder than she anticipated. Petropa had done some extensive remodeling of the castle in her absence. The secret passages and hiding places she had used last time had been sealed or blocked. Most of the equipment and potions she had stored in her room had been taken. Not only were there more guards, the current garrison was also better equipped and more disciplined than the last batch of morons her mother had hired.

The guards had forced her back into the cellars of the castle. Down here, amidst the forgotten wine casks and cobwebs there was hardly any foot traffic. The attic was equally safe, but getting there would be impossible. Anon would be somewhere in the middle; wherever the most guards were stationed. Reaching him would take every ounce of her skill. But escape…

Choerteris felt her pocket to ensure the limiter rings were still in her pocket. 

Escape should be a bit easier.


	30. Chapter 30

“Lussazan! There you are. Where the hell have you been?” asked Petropa.

“…Busy.” Said the lich.

Petropa watched as she squirmed and panted. There was a small trickle of arousal running down her leg.

“Are you drunk?!” asked Petropa.

“My husband made me a wonderful concoction. The interplay between herbs and reagents is… phenomenal. I do not know what went into it…”

Petropa pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Fantastic. Well are you lucid enough to answer questions?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Follow me.”

You watched the scene unfold amidst the sea of guards surrounding you. One of the dullahans was kind enough to support most of your weight, even though she had to hold her head at the same time. It wasn’t very clear what had transpired in the last half-hour; you didn’t remember anything after Petropa had tazed you with sex-magic. Apparently, she must have felt that a simple orgasm denial wasn’t enough. Your clothes were seared, and you were coated in bruises. 

You hoped whatever was after you brought an icepack.

Whatever Petropa was planning, it was big. Most of the elite guards were accompanying you, along with Emballandae, Lussazan, and other key figures within castle hierarchy. In total, there were probably thirty monsters surrounding you. Your hopes faltered as you realized that the girl coming for you was probably going to be out matched by such a formidable force. Petropa continued to converse with Lussazan as she walked briskly down the hall.

“I need to know how much mana Anon’s body can tolerate.” Said Petropa.

“I have a chart for that.” Said Lussazan pulling out a piece of paper form her bag. “It details his current capacity for mana, and projected future capacity. May I go now?”

“No.” said Petropa grabbing the sheet from her hand. She looked it over and frowned.

“That doesn’t seem like much…” said Petropa.

“It isn’t. He’s hit a sharp plateau after becoming accustomed to the ambient mana from the realm.”

“I see. So how much mana could he survive?” asked the vampire.

“Milady?” asked Lussazan.

“Choerteris is coming, and there’s no doubt that she’s insistent on “freeing” Anon. However, she wouldn’t dare pull him away from the loving embrace of her darling little sister. All Emballandae needs to do is get a little mana into him. Not enough to kill him, just to let everyone know he's claimed.”

Lussazan rubbed her chin.

“That… would be very risky. The amount of mana transferred would have to be minuscule; and carefully monitored. I fail to see how Anon could receive mana from her in such a small dose without fornication or blood sucking.”

“FORNICATION IS OUT OF THE QUESTION!” shouted Petropa, thrusting a slender finger into Lussazan’s face. “And what’s wrong with bloodsucking? She would only need to take a drop or so. How could that possibly harm him?”

“I said it would be risky, not impossible. A very small bite could theoretically “mark” him for Emballandae. He would suffer side effects, but mamono would be able to sense the trace of another woman in his essence.” Said Lussazan.

“Woah, wait a minute. What kind of ‘side effects’ are we talking about?” you said.

Lussazan fidgeted as she floated beside you. “…The symptoms would be the same as the mana poisoning you experienced when you arrived in Admaz. Only a bit worse…” she said in a fading voice.

You gulped. Emballandae made a similar noise and you both shared a look of dismay. It looked like she didn’t want to drink you blood as much as you didn’t want her to drink it. 

“Oh no, I am NOT going through that again. It was excruciating! Can’t you just toss a mana marker on me so I don’t have to pass magical kidney stones again?” you said.

“Unfortunately not. I would have marked you the second we knew about you if it were that easy. Makers are made of condensed mana, and putting one on you would be a death sentence. Not to mention a beacon to Choerteris.” Said Petropa.

“That’s who’s after me? Choerteris?” you asked.

Petropa tensed at the name but didn’t turn to face you. “Yes, that’s what she is called.”

“Momma, do I really have to drink his blood? Can’t we just get papa to talk to Choerteris like last time?” said Emballandae.

“She’s been here before?” you asked.

Oh. Wait. Just how stupid were you? You had ignored all the signs. Of fucking course it was a dhampir. What else would it be.

“She’s been here too many times…” muttered Petropa.

You snickered in spite of the situation.

“What is it you find so funny, peon?” asked Petropa as she peeked around a corner.

“She’s a dhampir, isn’t she?”

Petropa grit her teeth and yanked you towards her with her magic. You ricocheted off guards as you were pulled through the crowd.

“And WHAT of it?” hissed the vampire.

Remembering the previous bout of torture you had just went through, you decided that teasing a stressed monster with the ability to throw you across a city wasn’t the best idea.

“If she’s your daughter, can’t you just talk to her?” you said. Playing dumb was the safest way to play off your amusement as ignorance.

“Talking is useless if she won’t listen. I’ve tried to be kind. I did everything in my power to raise her properly. But every suggestion I make is an accusation to her. Everything I do offends her further. She lives to spite me; there is no reasoning with her.” Said Petropa. She put you down and continued on.

“Am I going to have to drink Anon’s blood again?” asked Emballandae.

“Mmm… I don’t know. Lussazan, is there a way to get my dear daughter’s mana into that cretin without biting it?” said Petropa.

“I have not tested the transfer mana between vampires and their mates. Though it is possible that mana is injected at the fangs, I suspect that scraping the skin and licking would also be adequate means of infusing Anon with essence.” Said Lussazan.

Emballandae grimaced but remained silent. A hand appeared on her shoulder, and you noticed Lapan was one of the people accompanying you. He whispered something to Emballandae, who shook her head. He gave her a gentle pat on the back and stared at you. You looked away to avoid his scornful gaze. The man really had it out for you.

“Lady Petropa!”

A werebat swooped down the hall towards your party.

“Where is she?” said Petropa.

“In the east wing, trying to get to a higher floor. We’ve barricaded the stairways, but-“

“Do NOT barricade anything! She can get around obstacles, but you morons can’t you’ll just end up cutting off our escape routes.” Said Petropa.

“Y-yes milady.” Squeaked the bat.

“Where exactly is she? What room?”

“She was in one of the moon rooms, next to the Lasion study.”

Petropa rubbed her chin and scowled. “Which way was she heading?”

“We can’t tell, milady. Her movements are too erratic. So far she’s stayed in the east wing, but she moves up and down floors at random. She’s climbing floors steadily, but back-tracking often.” Said the werebat.

“Hmm… has she reached Anon’s room?”

“No milady.”

“Good. Ensure it stays that way. What are the casualties like?” asked Petropa. You noticed she clenched her jaw as she asked the question.

“Minimal. She is having difficulty fighting us in groups. So far we have only lost eight guards.”

Only eight? Pretty damn good for one mamono. You wondered what fighting style Choerteris preferred. Probably something more agile if she survived a horde of guards. Unless she was using magic. Dhampirs had some special interaction with vampires, but you didn’t think it affected other undead in the same way.

“Do your best to surround her, and cut off access to windows and stairways. Once she’s trapped, call in a squad of mages to take care of her.” Ordered Petropa.

The werebat nodded and flew off to relay her message to the other guards.

“The rest of you, keep moving.” Said Petropa.

The clatter of armor and weapons resumed as you continued your aimless march around the castle.

~~~~~~~

Choerteris ducked under an axe and struck the assailant with the hilt of her sword. The zombie grunted and recoiled, before being impaled by the dhampir. She let out a moan and collapsed to the floor in a puddle of juices.

“She’s over here!”

Hurrying around the corner, Choerteris ducked inside a nearby room and gently closed the door behind her. Casting a quick spell to hide her scent, she slipped behind a chair and dropped to the floor. The sound of footsteps grew louder until they reached the door. There was a loud sniffing sound at the foot of the door, and Choerteris held her breath as a shadow blocked the light coming through the gap.

“What’s wrong? Is she in there?”

“No, it doesn’t smell like it. I think she came this way, but I think I’m losing the scent…”

“Losing the scent?! Already? She was just here!”

“Shut up! I know she was just here! Give me a minute alright? She’s gotta be close…”

The door opened a bit and Choerteris hid herself behind the chair. A werewolf poked her head in and looked around.

“Is she in there?”

“Do I have a sword sticking out of my face?”

“No…”

“Then she isn’t in here. Come on, let’s check the other rooms.” Said the werewolf. Choerteris could tell by the way her tail bristled that she wasn’t too keen on finding the person who had taken out two dozen guards until she had backup.

The door closed again and Choerteris let out a sigh of relief. Opening her small backpack, she pulled out a small morsel of dried meat and a map of the castle. By her estimates, she was about three quarters of the way to the attic of the east wing. Everything she needed to launch the next phase of her plan should be there. The only thing she had to do now was find Anon’s room on her way. She was close to finding it, there was no doubt about that. She knew her mother only used a few of the bedrooms in the castle; most were just too remote to be used by a permanent resident.

Ripping off a chunk of meat, Choerteris pulled out a small vial of ink and thin wooden stick to mark off all the bedrooms she had visited already. Anon’s bedroom should be easy to find once she got close. No doubt they had tried to mask his scent with some of the other ‘butlers’ of the castle. All she had to do was find the one that smelled like human men and was filled to the brim with elite guards.

Choerteris wondered if there was any other way to help the human men who were ensnared in service to her mother. She was still uncertain about the morality of it. Her mother did treat them like slaves, and groom them to be subservient to monster kind, but all of them eventually found loving homes with mistresses hand-picked by Petropa herself. And though they were routinely demeaned and humiliated by Petropa, the majority of the boys came from rough slave markets or abusive human families.

Choerteris sighed. Whether she could free them or not was a moot point; if she did manage to get them out, they would be instantly raped into submission by the denizens of Tomb Haven. She shuddered at the memory of a man who did escape, only to be ‘eaten’ by a pack of ghoul sisters. No, it was probably best for them to stay in the castle and marry some nice wight or up-and-coming zombie than to be released into the harsh streets of an undead city.

“Oh!”

Choerteris jumped and swung her sword around in panic. The ghost who had come through the floor retreated back under the rug as Choerteris cleaved a long seam into the back of the recliner she was hiding behind. Stuffing her things into her bag, she took a swig of water from the canteen she carried and hurried out the door. The shouting of guards grew louder as she slammed the door shut behind her.

“Hey, you! Stop!”

Ahead in the hallway, the werewolf was pointing her sword at Choerteris. The zombie she was with cowered behind her, holding her spear out under the arm of her friend. The fire in the wolf’s eyes fizzled as she made eye contact with the dhampir.

“…Please?” Said the werewolf with a weak grin.

Choerteris surged forwards and raised her sword. The zombie shrieked and jumped onto the werewolf as she set upon them.

~~~~~~

“What floor is she on now?” asked Petropa.

“The eighth, milady. Though I suspect she’s a bit higher now.” Said the zombie harpy.

You listened to the report from the chair you were seated in as Lussazan took your vitals. Petropa had needed a break from running for her life and decided that tea in a comfy sitting room was the best place to do it. She and Cesbron were cuddled up under a blanket. The scene would have been adorable if they weren’t plotting to marry you to their daughter against your will.

“Hey Lussazan, are you really just going to let them do this? I mean, there’s a chance I could die from this right?” you said.

Lussazan passed a paper to Datoll to check. “Mmm… I’m afraid I must. I have advised against this course of action. Unless Lady Petropa rescinds this order, or Choerteris is defeated, the only thing I can do is try to cut off the flow of mana between you and the young lady before you are harmed.”

“Well, why don’t we just stop her then? She can’t be that strong. Hell, you and I could probably blow her out of the city of you took these cuffs off me.” You said wiggling your magical inhibitors in her face.

“Lady Petropa’s judgement is clouded by fear. Choerteris is the only thing that had ever presented a threat to her. She fails to see the threat for what it really is; a single mamono. To her, there is no greater danger in the world.” Said Lussazan.

“Then why don’t you say anything to her?”

Lussazan fidgeted. Datoll hugged her from behind and she rested one of her petite hands over his.

“It is not my place to say.” She said softly.

“Don’t worry about a thing Anon, I have a feeling that things will work out in the end.” Said Datoll.

“I’m worried about HOW they’ll work out.” You grumbled. You watched Emballandae pick through the selection of books in the sitting room you were camped in. Picking one out, she sat down in a high-backed leather chair and began to flip through the pages.

“Are you done?” you asked Lussazan.

She nodded and you got up from the chair. The reality of the situation was beginning to weigh on you. Being bound to Emballandae by the strange magics of this world always seemed to be too far into the future to worry about. But now, as the clock wound down, you really did have to imagine what life would be like if you were married to this woman.

Your heart fluttered as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face. Even with the fretful look on her face, she was still stunning. Even by mamono standards. For all the shit you and Petropa gave each other, she and her daughter were inhumanly beautiful by Earth standards. 

Vampires were not the first mamono on your list, but they were far from the bottom. Well above average. You had underestimated their temperament, but Emballandae seemed to be a much more accurate representation of the encyclopedia entry than her mother. You had actually come to enjoy talking to her during your stay here. Though conversations quickly turned to arguments, her passion and innocence made her all the more endearing. If it came down to it, there were much worse fates than marrying Emballandae Chiropta.

But it just didn’t feel right.

Every monster and human had someone out there for them, and from what the encyclopedia said it seemed like fate played a hand in making those two meet. Emballandae was someone you would not be upset with marrying, but ‘good enough’ did not seem like the kind of thing that this world would tolerate.

Not to mention your all but confirmed suspicion that Emballandae had already met her perfect partner.

Lapan brought her a cup of tea on a saucer and handed it to her. She smiled and thanked him as he asked what the book was about. Their cheery conversation glowed like a beacon of hope amidst the nervous guards and tense atmosphere surrounding them. It was clear to everyone that he would be a much better choice for Emballandae.

You rubbed the manacles that had suppressed your magic for the weeks you had spent here. Perhaps escape was closer than you thought. The situation seemed more tenuous than you previously thought. The guards were nervous, Lussazan was ambivalent about injecting you with mana, and Emballandae was just as dubious about giving it too you. Choerteris was coming for you and It felt like the gods were tilting the scales in your favor. Surely Eros wouldn’t allow you to live out the rest of eternity in a lukewarm relationship. All you had to do was seize the opportunity.

You walked over to Emballandae and Lapan and seated yourself onto an ottoman. Lapan scowled at you and Emballandae gave you a quizzical look.

“What do you want?” asked Emballandae.

“I was just checking on you. Seeing how you were holding up.” You said.

Emballandae narrowed her eyes. “I’m fine. If you want to worry, worry about yourself.”

“I am. Believe me, I am. I just want to know what you think of this whole affair.” You said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your mother is about to try and force us to be bound together for eternity. I just wanted to know if you were really on board with the idea of being married to me.”

Her hands gripped the book she was holding tighter.

“Ha! You’re mistaking servitude for marriage. You are about to become my thrall and mana source, nothing more.” Said Emballandae.

“Your ONLY thrall and mana source. Forever. Me. I’ll ask again: are you really okay with that?” you said.

Emballandae pursed her lips and glanced over at Petropa. She was being helped into some armor by the guards attending to her. 

“I really don’t get the point of these questions. If you’re just going to sit there and yammer on about things, then you can go find someone else to entertain you.” Said Emballandae.

She got up and quickly walked away. You sighed and stretched your legs. Choerteris better get here soon.

~~~~~~

Choerteris smiled. The door she was standing in front of reeked of male essence. There could be no doubt, this was Anon’s room. Slowly opening the door, she peered inside.

The room was empty. Slowly entering the room, Choerteris held her breath in anticipation. There should have been guards here. The lack of guards certainly made things easier, but it also meant her mother was planning something. 

Choerteris followed her nose over to the closet and threw open the doors. Inside, rows of strange clothing hung neatly above a series of drawers. Choerteris pulled one of the garments off the rack and examined it. The strange shirt was made of a single piece of fabric. There were no buttons or seams of any kind. Chuckling at the novelty, Choerteris began stuffing as many changes of clothing into her bag as she could. She tried to hurry, but the adventurer in her demanded she examine all of the otherworldly trinkets she found.  
As she opened a strange flap of leather, she was shocked to find a tiny portrait of a man, neatly printed onto a strip of paper. Before she could examine the remainder of the contents, a chill ran down her spine. Dropping to the floor, she only just managed to dodge a bolt of magic that exploded against the wall.

“Oh dear! Choerteris dear, could you come out of there? I’d hate to ruin Anon’s artifacts. I’m sure he’d be devastated if he lost all of his mementos.”

Choerteris rolled out of the closet. Staying in a confined space against a mage was a death sentence.

“Goeth!”

The wight gave her a weary smile. “Hello, little lady. Up to no good again, are we?”

“You don’t have to do this, Goeth. Have you read the reports on the human? Do you know what they did to get him here?! What they’re risking just by keeping him here?” said Choerteris.

Goeth tried to grab Choerteris with her spectral hands, but the dhampir broke her concentration by throwing a realm-silver knife.  
“I know. But Lussazan is careful! She won’t let any harm befall him!” said Goeth.

Choerteris vaulted over the bed and unsheathed her sword. Throwing a vase from a table, she charged at Goeth.

“Isn’t that what she said last time? When she almost killed him?!”

Goeth pulled out her own sword and parried Choerteris’ first thrust.

“Dragging a human into a different dimension and keeping him healthy are completely different! You’re just looking for revenge on your mother…” Goeth swiped at Choerteris’ feet with her sword while trying to crush her with a magical claw. “…And hurting your sister in the process!”

“Hurting my sister?! I’m sure that brat will find some other poor soul to drain. How can you call liberating a slave revenge?!”  
“Who says he’s a slave?” said Goeth.

“If he wasn’t a slave, he wouldn’t be wearing shackles!” roared Choerteris. She nicked Goeth’s wrist with her estoc and the wight recoiled.

Goeth staggered back and rubbed her wrist with the hilt of her sword. “You’ve gotten a lot better since last time. I’m surprised you could see the irons from that distance.” Said Goeth with a grin. She took another slash at the dhampir.

“Goeth, please! You’ve always been the only levelheaded one in this whole place! I’ve always been able to turn to you. You know I have to save him.” Said Choerteris stepping out of the way.

“No care for your sister then? Are you just going to abscond with her fiancé?” asked Goeth.

Choerteris bit her lip. “I care about Emby. I really do. But from what I’ve seen, from what I’ve heard… Anon just isn’t a good fit for her. I want to save him, but I can’t just ruin my sister’s life. Give it to me straight: do YOU think they’re compatible?”

Goeth gave her a strange combination of a grimace and a smile. “Yes.”

Choerteris chuckled. “You always were a terrible liar. The only person you ever fooled was mother.”

Goeth sighed and relaxed her posture. “Yeah, yeah.” She walked over to the window and looked across the courtyard. Somewhere in the west wing, Anon was being prepped for marriage to Emballandae. Goeth remembered the time the three of them had spent in the carriage to Tomb Haven. They had warmed up to each other, but it was far from romance. She remembered seeing all the couples form in the castle over the years. The cute little interactions between the maids and butlers, or the stunned gaze of a noble and a server from across a ballroom. Anon had adapted to life in the castle, but that didn’t mean he was enjoying it.

“Goeth?”

The wight sheathed her sword. “He isn’t the best fit for her, but he’s a good kid. Real tolerant for a human if you aren’t on his bad side. I think that he and Emballandae would be happy together in time, but I don’t think that they’re right for each other. You know?” Goeth looked back at her and chuckled. “I guess you wouldn’t considering your still single.”

Goeth whipped around and glared at Choerteris. “You aren’t planning on taking him yourself are you?”

“Of course not!” said Choerteris.

“Then why are you blushing?”

“I-it doesn’t matter if I’m single, I can find a guy in no time if I felt like it.” Said Choerteris.

Goeth gave the poor tomboy a pitying look. She wasn’t even sure if Choerteris could be called a monster girl at this point.

“A-anyways, I got my answer. So stop looking at me like that. Are you going to try and stop me, or are you going to think for yourself for once and help me?”

“You know I can’t help you. I owe a lot to your mother. She’s a good woman, even if you can’t see that. She just has trouble seeing past her own ego sometimes.” Said Goeth.

“Am I going to have to skewer you, yes or no?” asked Choerteris.

“See, comments like that are why you haven’t married yet. I’m not going to fight you. I want Anon out of here too. Especially given the circumstances.”

“Circumstances?”

“Your mother has come up with the brilliant plan of marking Anon by getting a small amount of Emballandae’s mana into him. She figures if Emby gets her foot in the door, so to speak, that you’ll have to accept them as a couple and leave them alone. Anon will be bound to Emballandae and no other mamono will want him.”

“But Lussazan’s notes said that he would die if he was taken by a mamono!”

“His body can tolerate small amounts of mana. I don’t exactly know how much that means, but I’m guessing it isn’t much. Seems like they’re playing with fire if you ask me, but I don’t know the science of it, so I kept my mouth shut.” Said Goeth.

“When are they going to do this? Are they moving him to the basement?” asked Choerteris.

“No, they’re staying as far away from you as possible. They’re somewhere in the west wing.” Said Goeth.

Choerteris hurried into the closet and stuffed a few more articles of clothing into her pack.

“He keeps some things in the desk too.” Said Goeth.

Choerteris swiped a notebook filled with loose pages and strange scribblings and folded it up amidst the clothes.

“I-I have to go. I have to stop them!” Said Choerteris.

“Yeah, I know. It was good to see you sweetie.” Said Goeth.

“You too.”

Choerteris made for the door.

“Oh, and Choerteris…”

She looked over her shoulder at Goeth.

“Visit more often, okay? It’s always livelier around here when you come.” Said the wight with a smile.

Choerteris grinned and hurried off towards the attic.

~~~~~~

The attic was just as dusty and dim as Choerteris remembered it. Mountains of forgotten furniture, racks of clothing centuries out of style, and chests full of clutter formed a labyrinth of abandoned history.

As Choerteris got further form the hatch leading to the attic, the dust became thicker and more oppressive. It was clear that Petropa rarely used the space for storage anymore.

Walking quickly past the relics of bygone eras, Choerteris followed the trail of marking she had carved into the rafters years ago. When she left the castle for good, she knew that the fight between her and her mother was not finished. Someday it would have to end. And this would tip the scales in her favor.

Pushing aside a pile of boxes, Choerteris sighed with relief and pulled out the supply cache she had created in her youth. Realm silver chain mail, a small crossbow, garlic, poisons made from intoxication fruits, and a coil of good rope were just some of the things she had left in the box. All the trinkets she would need to take down her mother and more. Forgoing the chain mail, she began strapping knives and pouches onto herself with belts. Her mother and Lussazan were the only real threats, and a layer of chain would do nothing to stop a fireball.

Placing one last knife into a band around her thigh, she tested the mobility of her new equipment. Satisfied that she wouldn’t stab herself trying to run, Choerteris hurried over to one of the few windows in the attic.

Beside it sat one of the projects that had kept Choerteris sane during her perpetual groundings. A massive ballista that she had painstakingly restrung over the course of a few months. Whenever Petropa had confined her as punishment, she imagined using the weapon of war against her mother as revenge. The idea was never more than a dream; the ballista was too large to ever be used against such an agile opponent. Choerteris doubted she could even get it out of the attic on her own. But now it would finally serve its purpose.

Choerteris’ boots carved long streaks through the dust as she began to push the base of the weapon closer to the window. With a final grunt, she judged it to be in position and began to work the crank to adjust the direction it was facing. The mechanism’s gears quietly clicked into place as she aimed the massive realm-sliver bolt out the window. Opening the panes, she affixed the rope to the back of the bolt and took aim at the west wing.

“I’m coming, Anon. I just hope you’re as pissed as I am when I get there…” she muttered.

~~~~~

“Still no sign of her?” asked Petropa.

“No milady. We lost her around Anon’s room.” Said a zombie.

“Damn.” Petropa peeked out into the courtyard through the curtains. “Lussazan, how close is he to being ready?”

“Close, milady.” Said the lich.

“Begin as soon as you figure out how much he can take. I don’t care if Emballandae had to bite him while we’re running; this happens NOW.”

You looked around the room again. For the past half hour, all you had done was look for a point of egress. Some gap in the guard’s rotation that you could slip through. You didn’t have to get away, just buy some time.

Emballandae looked even more nervous than you. Her hands were clasped together in her lap as one of her knees jerked up and down. Though she had a book open in her lap, it was clear that she wasn’t comprehending any of the text.

From the courtyard, there was a soft crash.

“What was that?” said Petropa.

“It sounded like it came from the courtyard, milady.” Said a dullahan.

“I know it came from the courtyard, but why would Choerteris be-“

Petropa threw the curtains shut and grabbed her husband.

“SHE’S HERE!” shrieked Petropa. Cesbron hugged his wife who buried her head into his chin.

Some of the guards looked out the window to see what the commotion was, and immediately began giving orders to the rest.

“Get everyone out of the east wing. Post guards at every staircase. Everyone who isn’t protecting a chokepoint is now guarding the human.” Said the dullahan.

That certainly complicated things. No chance of you sneaking away unnoticed now.

“Should we stay here, or should we move milady?” asked a guard.

“Umm… we’ll move! She may know where we are, we can’t stay in one place for too long.” Said Petropa.

“As you wish. Where shall we go?”

Petropa looked out the window again. “It looks like she entered the building to the south. So we should head north. Right?” said Petropa.

The guards exchanged worried glances but nodded. “Very good, Lady Petropa. We should depart at once.”

The horde of guards began to funnel out of the room, keeping you in the middle. Emballandae and Petropa followed close behind you, and the wall of undead pressed forward through the halls.

~~~~~~

“How long is this chase gonna last?”

“It’ll last until the bitch gets the human.”

“You mean Choerteris or Emballandae?”

“Both.”

The ghoul and wisp cackled at the joke as Choerteris followed behind them.

“You’d think the boss would just chuck her out a window and be done with it.”

“Nah. You haven’t seen ‘em fight. Petropa loses her nerve like a glacies in front of a magma-golem. Pretty funny stuff. Just don’t get caught laughin’ about it later.”

“No kidding? Huh. Hey, you think Choerteris is back for this guys dick, or just to let him out?”

“Hmm… Well, Choerteris is usually to snooty to pick a man, so my guess is that she’s just pissed off mommy’s keeping another slave.”  
“Does that mean Anon’s up for grabs once Choerteris deals with Petropa?”

“Ufufu… Guess so. I hear Anon is poisoned by mamono mana, but that sounds like an excuse they came up with to keep us from touching him. ‘Sides, if he does bite it, I’ll just keep him in my cage~” said the wisp.

“Not if I get him first. I’ve been dying to sink my teeth into that white meat ever since I saw him. I bet he’s delicious.” Said the ghoul licking her chops.

“What do you mean “get him first”? I’m older, so I should get him.”

“In your dreams, you glorified chandelier. He needs a woman who can keep him warm, not contained.” Said the ghoul.

“Hah! Maybe I’ll just float around in the air. All I have to do is hover a few feet over you and you’ll just have to watch.”

“Not if another ghost stops you!”

“…Shit, you’re right. You think other mamono are planning on grabbing him if things fall apart?”

“Yeah probably. I mean, wouldn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“…Let’s split ‘im.”

“Works for me. I only need his soul.”

“Where is he anyways? I feel like we’re in the wrong place.”

“Umm…” The wisp vanished through the ceiling for a moment and returned. “Nope, we’re good. Everyone’s a few floors up from here.”

“Great. Let’s see if we can get spots close to Anon.”

“Good idea. Hey, if this doesn’t work, you wanna go raid the butler’s quarters?”

“You know it! One of ‘em grimaced when I wiggled my tongue at him the other day and I wanna make sure he knows how good if feels~”  
The pair of monsters laughed as they continued down the hall. Choerteris hurried to the windows and gently opened them just enough to squeeze out. Grabbing hold of the brick work, she quickly began to climb. The threat of other monsters hadn’t occurred to her until now. Of course they would try and take advantage of the situation and grab a human man. They were monsters. Anon had better keep up once they were out. 

Swinging from a small outcropping, she grabbed a windowsill and hoisted herself through.

~~~~~~~~

Petropa shuddered.

“Are you alright?” asked Cesbron.

“Did it just get colder in here?” asked Petropa.

“It felt like it.” Said Emballandae, pulling her cape around her.

“She’s close.” Muttered Lussazan.

Petropa reached the same conclusion. “Everyone, into the next room we find. Lussazan, prepare the transfer.”

Lussazan grabbed your arm, but you tugged it away. Using her magic, she seized both your wrists and hauled you into the room as you dug your heels into the carpet.

“Anon, please. Do not make this difficult…” she said.

Seating you in a chair, she held you in place and bent your head to one side.

“Emballandae, you may begin drinking. Be prepared to stop when I say.” Said Lussazan.

Emballandae gulped and straddled you. Folding her legs so that she was on her knees over your lap, she placed her hands on your chin and shoulder. Her skin was cool and silky. Feeling how small her fingers were as they traced your bones made you appreciate how much of a size difference there was between you two. All the guards were watching you now. Some looked on in envy, some in excitement, and some in pity.

“You don’t have to do this.” You whispered.

“I want to do this.” Growled Emballandae. Her fingers squeezed your skin. Your muscles began to ache in protest under her inhuman strength.

“No, you don’t. It’s not too late. Just-“

Your mouth was slammed shut against your tongue and you flinched in pain.

“Silence worm. Emballandae, do it.” Said Petropa. She held your jaw shut with her magic and gestured for her daughter to continue.  
Emballandae licked her lips and leaned in towards you neck. Her breath was warm; a pleasant juxtaposition to the cold touch of her skin. Lussazan began to cast a spell as the vampire got closer to your neck.

If Emballandae had a heart, you were sure that you would be able to hear it pounding inside her chest. Her dainty face was a textbook example of duress. A small sheen of sweat was visible on her brow.

The tension was broken by a distant piercing shriek.

“Do it now!” shouted Petropa.

Emballandae’s fangs broke through your skin and she pulled away from you with a loud retch.

“What’s wrong?” said Petropa in exasperation. “Just bite him!”

You felt a warm trickle of liquid run down your neck. It sounded like that wasn’t enough. Thankfully, the bite didn’t hurt as much as you feared. Less painful than a shot. What concerned you the most was how you were going to seal the wound.

“I’m going!” said Emballandae. She didn’t even get close to your neck before she gagged and covered her nose.

The commotion in the hallway was getting louder.

“Fuck!” shouted Petropa.

She used her magic to shove some of the guards out of the way and throw open the door.

“I’ll deal with her myself since you’re all too incompetent!”

There was a small explosion from the doorway and Petropa screamed. Chaos ensued as a cloud of gas billowed in. Guards were shouting and shoving, trying to figure out what was happening and where the assailant was. Lussazan released the magic binding you and you quickly scrambled out of the chair and away from Emballandae.

“Hey!” she shouted.

More and more smoke poured in. The sound of combat grew louder, until it was clear that Choerteris was in the room. You retreated into a corner, as far away as you could get from the mist. It tickled your lungs and clouded your vision as you tried to cover your nose and mouth. What the hell was happening? Where was Choerteris? You still didn’t know what she looked like after all.

A blast of magic made the situation worse for everyone as the shockwave blew the apparently drugged smoke into every corner of the room. You could hear the sounds of mamono groaning and moaning in pain, pleasure, or both. Should you call out? Probably not. Better to be found by Choerteris than risk attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

The room continued to grow more distorted the longer you remained in the gas. Pleasure soon turned to discomfort as you began to feel the signs of mana poisoning. Whatever was making the guards docile was also making you sick. A firm hand grabbed you by the shoulder and you grabbed onto the wrist. They began to drag you away, through the crowd towards the door. Hands and monstrous appendages made weak grabs at your arms and legs as you were carried through the pinkish haze. The fighting continued around you. Strangely, it sounded like the melee had spread to more than one area of the room.

You closed your eyes and tried to push yourself forwards with your savior. Spilling out into the hallway, the woman who was carrying you let you slide to the floor.

The hall was just as much of a mess as the room you had just escaped. Unconscious or lust addled guards littered the corridor. You rolled over onto your back and coughed. Covering you face with one of your arms, you wait for the room to stop spinning and your erection to die down.

“Thanks…” you panted.

“Of course, my love.”

You lowered your arm and looked at the woman standing over you. Instantly, you could tell that she was not a dhampir. The monster before you looked nothing like Petropa or Emballandae. She was much heavier set, completely filling out the armor she was wearing. Her sharp teeth contrasted her caramel skin as she sneered at you. She took a step towards you while undoing the first set of clasps on her armor. You rolled over and tried to scramble away from her.

“Ah ah ah! Come on now, don’t be shy~” she cooed, planting a foot on your back. You grunted as she forced more of her weight onto you.   
“You’re lucky I was strong enough to pull you through that mist. The least you could do is show some appreciation~”

Her chest plate clattered to the floor, revealing her heavy breasts. Her body was well defined from years of training. Picking you up off the floor by your throat, she held you at arm’s length as you flailed in her grip.

“Mmm, keep wiggling, snack. I don’t mind if you fight~” she said. Wrapping you into a bear hug, she let her tongue drape down in front of your face. The slimy appendage wriggled in front of you, before leaving a glistening trail of saliva from your chin to your ear. You tried kicking her in the stomach, but the ghoul just chuckled and began to carry you off. “Phew. I may be more composed than the rest of them, but that mist really put me in a good mood. I hope you weren’t hoping for a gentle consummation~”

Before she could get far, a figure tumbled out of the room and charged towards you. The ghoul didn’t have time to turn around before a push sword pierced through her chest, stopping just shy of yours. Should have worn that armor, bitch.

With a groan, she collapsed on top of you.

You began to wriggle free before the other mamono effortlessly rolled the sleeping ghoul off of you.

The woman standing over you was much smaller than your previous savior. You relaxed the second you saw her short blonde hair in the moonlight.

“Anon, my name i-“

“Choerteris, yeah. Let’s get the fuck outta here and talk later, okay?” you said.

The dhampir looked almost hurt by your curt introduction but nodded and hurried past you down the hall.

“This way, we’ll have to get you out of the city.” Said Choerteris.

“How are we going to do that? Every mamono in the city wants to molest me or turn me over to your mother!” you said.

“I know some people who can help us. First we need to get you somewhere safe.”

A piercing shriek echoed through the halls behind you. Portraits on the wall began to shake as a loud rumbling started towards you.

“What the hell is that?” you asked.

“Momma.”

“Can’t we fight her? I thought she would get weaker in the presence of a dhampir!”

“She IS weaker.”

“Then what do we do about her?!”

“Run.”

Choerteris reached a staircase and leapt down do the first landing. You took the stairs three at a time, almost breaking your face on the last step. Choerteris caught you and pushed you along down the stairs.

“Run?! That’s your plan?!”

“Yep.”

Petropa let out another inhuman cry of rage, this time much closer. From the sound of it, she was gaining fast.

“IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE A VERY VIABLE PLAN!” you said.

“Would you shut up and run?!”

You and Choerteris made it down two flights of stairs before she pulled you into another hallway.

“Can you fight?” asked Choerteris.

“Me? Are you serious?” you panted.

“I mean with magic!”

“No. They never taught me anything like that at Admaz!”

With a loud crack, a marble banister fell onto the landing you and Choerteris had exited the stairwell at.

“CHOERTERISSS!!”

You and Choerteris rounded a corner as Petropa dropped onto the landing, pulverizing the remains of the banister.

“HOW THE HELL DID YOU TAKE ON AN ARMY IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT?!” shouted Choerteris.

“IT WAS A LOT EASIER WHEN NONE OF THEM WERE FIGHTING BACK!”

“Fuck! I was kind of counting on some fire power to get us out of here!” said Choerteris. “You really can’t do anything useful? Anything?”

“I can blow stuff up, but if I do that you’ll have to carry me out of here.”

“I have your rings! Can you still make explosions if you wear them?”

“Fuck, you got them? Give ‘em here.” You said. Choerteris slowed down and quickly slipped the rings into your hands.  
Petropa was hot on your heels. You could hear the crack of plaster and the din of breaking furniture as she carved her way towards you.  
“What do you have in those pouches?” you asked.

“Now’s not the time for that!”

“Do you have any garlic? I have a plan. Just get these shackles off of me!”

Petropa rounded the corner just as you got the last clove of garlic into your hand. Holding one hand in an “o” shape with the garlic in the center, you used the other to blast magic through the space between your index finger and thumb. Petropa caught the bolt of garlic-infused magic in the head and collapsed to the floor. She kicked an swore, trying to get the herb out of her eyes. Her hips pumped up and down as she started to softly moan.

“Woah. Good shot…” said Choerteris.

“I thought garlic made her docile!” you said.

“It makes her horny. I’m sure if daddy was here, she would take it out on him. Come on, we have to get you out of here!” said Choerteris tugging your sleeve.

You flexed your fingers, savoring the feeling of magic flowing through your digits once again. 

“Still got it...” You murmured to yourself.

~~~~~~

Choerteris lit a lantern and placed it on the floor of the pantry you were hiding in. Collecting several pieces of produce she handed you one and put the rest in her bag.

“Looks like we’ll have to make this escape quick. I don’t think you’ll find much food that hasn’t been corrupted here in the city.” Said Choerteris.

“No complaints from me. The sooner I get back to Admaz the better.” You said.

Choerteris stared at you in the flickering light. It was clear that she had never cared for the luxuries her birth entitled her to. Areas where her pale skin shown under her clothing were covered in nicks and small scars. Her stomach and arms were thin, but well defined. No doubt that even without her monstrous heritage she would still be a formidable opponent. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked.

Choerteris blushed and looked away. “Sorry. I guess it’s just a bit of a culture shock.”

“What do you mean? ‘Cause I’m from {Earth}?”

“No. That’s part of it, but you just don’t handle yourself like I’d expect you too.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” you said taking a bite of whatever tuber Choerteris had given you.

“Compliment.” Smiled Choerteris. “I thought you would scream and run when momma rounded that corner.”

“What makes you say that? Just because I’m not that big doesn’t mean I’m not going to defend myself.”

She giggled. “You sound like a paladin. I was just guessing based on your hip size.”

You stopped chewing. “My what?”

“Your hip size. You don’t know?” Choerteris cocked her head.

“What about my hip size?” you asked.

“Oh wow. I guess they really did keep you sheltered. Guys with narrow hips are more submissive.”

You blinked. “What?”

“Uhh… Just forget it. Are you ready to move?” she asked.

“Yeah. What’s the plan? Are we just fighting our way out?” you asked.

“No. This castle is full of old tunnels and escape routes. Most of them have been sealed, but there are a few they missed.”

“Depends what you mean by “sealed” too. If it’s just a layer of plaster I can just blast it open again.” You said.

“I’m afraid the renovations were a bit more extensive than that. We need to reach the cellar. From there, we use a small  
crawl space to exit the city.”

“Wow. That sounds… surprisingly simple? What’s the catch?” you asked.

“I hope you’re not claustrophobic.” Said Choerteris. “It’s a long tunnel and a fair bit of it has to be traversed on your hands and knees.”

You sighed. “Oh well. As long as I’m not someone’s meal I can’t complain.”

Choerteris grinned. “It’s nice to save a man who isn’t swooning or screaming.”

“I’ll swoon you silly once I’m back home. We should get moving before Petropa finds us.”

“You’re right. Oh, I grabbed most of your things before I came to get you.” Said Choerteris showing you the contents of her bag.  
“Thanks. Hey! I was about to be drained by your sister and you were pilfering my underwear?”

Choerteris blushed and closed the bag. “I didn’t know they were planning on speeding things along! The file I found in Lussazan’s drawer said that they weren’t planning on putting any mamono mana into you anytime soon!”

“I guess you have a point…” you glowered. She did show up in time after all. “Do you need me to carry any of my stuff?”

“No, I got it.”

“Alright. Lead the way.”

Choerteris peaked out of the cupboard, and gestured you to follow. Dashing through the halls, you began your silent descent through the castle.

~~~~~~~

Petropa groaned and stretched her wings. Cesbron was sleeping soundly next to her. Rubbing her eyes, she inspected the room she was in.  
The décor, or what was left of it, suggested that it was the quaint little bedroom that Lady Craseon had enjoyed all those centuries ago. Shuffling through the debris, Petropa pulled off the tattered remains of the bed-sheets that were tangled around her.

After Anon had blasted her with the garlic, her libido got the better of her and she had retreated to find Cesbron. It was difficult to remember what exactly transpired, but the room told her that she owed him and his pelvis an apology when he woke up. Judging by how good she felt, she must have drained every drop of mana in his body.

Lifting the remains of a bookshelf, Petropa recovered her breastplate and dusted it off. Strapping it on, she quietly opened the door and slipped out. Although the door no longer sat in its hinges, she did her best to cover the entrance to the room.

“You’ve done it now, Choerteris…” she growled. Spreading her wings, she lifted herself off the ground in search of her prey.

~~~~~~

“How much further?” you asked.

“We still have a ways to go.” Said Choerteris.

The constant patrols of frantic guards had slowed your trip to the cellar to an agonizing crawl. Choerteris had done her best to hide your scent, but you had already clashed with guards four times. Of course, the commotion attracted MORE mamono to the scene. At Choerteris’ behest, you had used your magic to carefully blast away the larger groups, but fatigue was beginning to set in.  
Choerteris slammed you into an alcove as a patrol passed through a hallway perpendicular to your own. Once they had passed, she pulled you out by your shirt and waved you along.

“How are you feeling?” asked Choerteris.

“I’m fine.” You said.

“Do you think you could handle a few more guards?” asked Choerteris.

“How many? I’m not exactly in peak fighting condition here…” you said.

“If we can pass through the grand ballroom, we can use a passage in the kitchen to go straight to the cellar.”

“Are there going to be a lot of guards there?” you asked.

“I don’t know, probably not, if I had to guess. But the ballroom is in the center of the north wing. Right in the middle of the castle. It will be easy for guards in either wing to collapse on us, especially since there aren’t many rooms or staircases nearby. And since it’s an open room, there won’t be any cover to hide us.” Said Choerteris.

“That doesn’t sound too bad, I doubt many guards will post up there to try and catch us.”

“Like I said, there aren’t many guards there NOW. The giant windows and glass doors that open to the courtyard mean that anyone can watch the ballroom from almost anywhere in the castle. We would only have a few minutes tops once we’re in to cross and reach the kitchen.”

“And the other ways?” you asked.

“Too slow. Momma will be back soon; we can’t keep moving at this pace.” Said Choerteris rolling up the map.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and adjusted the focus rings on your fingers. You had hoped that Petropa would just stay gone after you had blasted her. If she had already tortured you for being a smartass, you didn’t even want to think about what she would do to you if she got her hands on you after this.

Following Choerteris out the door, you set off towards the ballroom.

~~~~~~

“In here.” Said Choerteris, dragging you into a closet.

“What the hell is this?” you asked.

Choerteris dragged a shelf of cleaning supplies out of the way to reveal a dusty trap door.

“Oh. Of course.” You said.

“What?” 

“Nothing. Never mind. Where does this lead?”

“It’s a maintenance hatch that leads to the catwalks behind the stage. Be careful when we’re on the walks; they were installed by accident when Lady Hesper forgot ghosts could just float up and adjust the rigging and lights. Since no one ever actually used them, they may be a bit… shaky.” Said Choerteris opening the hatch.

Great.

She slipped through the hatch and you slowly eased yourself through. Choerteris grabbed your waist and eased your feet onto the catwalk.

“Alright, it doesn’t look like there are any guards down there. We should get d-“

Choerteris shivered. She looked around the mess of ropes and pulleys with a panicked expression.

“What’s wrong?” you asked. “Is this thing collapsing?!”

“She’s coming! We have to hurry!”

Tracing a rope back to its pulley, Choerteris gave it a tug. Down below, a sandbag flopped over and let out a small cloud of dust. 

Pulling a knife from her waist, Choerteris cut the rope and lifted your arms.

“What are you doing?” you protested.

In a flurry of twists and loops, she tied the rope around your waist and shoved you over the railing. You let out a short yelp as you cartwheeled over, before the sandbag on the other end of the rope slowed your fall. The counterweight was not enough to make the impact painless, but it was better than nothing.

You clutched the arm that had taken the brunt of the fall as Choerteris slid down the rope after you.

“What the hell!” you said as she undid the rope around your waist.

“Shut up! We have to go!”

As she hurried out onto the stage and onto the ballroom floor, you heard a faint noise between her footfalls. A deep, bass tone that began as white loudened until it shook the floor.

“CHOERTERIS!”

Petropa smashed through the trapdoor you had come through in a hail of wood and stone. You flopped off of the stage and sprinted towards the other side of the ballroom.

Before you were even halfway to the other side, Petropa pulled you back into her arms with her magic.

“You… Mark my words, you’ll never see the light of day again. I’ll see that your bled like an animal everyday for the rest of your LIFE.” She hissed.

“Let him go!” shouted Choerteris.

Petropa looked at her daughter apathetically. “Ah, my dear daughter. Words cannot describe my disappointment. I gave you everything, and you WASTED your potential chasing trinkets in dusty graves. I was kind enough to let you into my home after all these years, after all your trespasses, and you still see fit to betray me.”

“Terrorizing humans is one thing, but calling them forth from other worlds? Unforgivable.”

“I’m doing what Lilith is incapable of! I’m walk the path that all others are too cowardly to tread!” said Petropa. “This is for the good of all mamono!”

“The good of all mamono?! You seek to steal men from their homes and make them your slaves.”

“That could be said of any monster. What is a man but sustenance for us higher beings?”

Choerteris’ eyes flared and she drew her sword.

“He doesn’t belong in this world!”

Choerteris charged at the stage with inhuman speed. Petropa tossed you aside to use both hands for combat.

You skidded to a stop in time to see the dhampir lunge at her mother. A faint shimmer appeared around her, and Petropa’s hands glowed with power. Whatever Petropa attempted failed, and Choerteris took a swing at her.

“Damn you!” hissed Petropa. She drew her own sword and stepped towards Choerteris.

You picked yourself up and tried to blast Petropa. She blocked a sword swing and pushed you off the stage.

“He isn’t worth it! Leave now, and I won’t have to destroy you!” said Petropa.

“Impossible for you!” said Choerteris. Petropa took a swing at her and she stepped back. Pulling a knife from her belt, she threw it at Petropa before returning to the duel.

You watched in awe from the ballroom floor as the fight continued. Though you desperately wanted to help Choerteris, the speed of the melee had steadily increased to the point of incoherence. Their sword work was so fast that it was almost cartoonish. The fight moved around the stage as they switched from offence to defence and back again. If you tried to shoot Petropa, there was a fifty percent chance that you would hit Choerteris on accident.

Should you just leave? Petropa was distracted and Choerteris had told you the way out. You didn’t know exactly where in the cellar you were going, but it seemed like you would have plenty of time to figure it out.

No, there were too many guards. There was ZERO chance that they hadn’t heard this din. Hell, you were surprised that none of them had entered the room.

Petropa yelped and you turned your attention back to the stage. Choerteris had forced her off and she had to flap her massive wings to prevent herself from falling. The vampire looked uncharacteristically dismayed at the skill of her daughter. She looked at you. Panting, she narrowed her eyes and grinned.

“Ah, now I see why you’re so keen on “saving” him. You just want him for yourself!” said Petropa.

Choerteris blushed and lowered her sword a bit. “WHAT?!”

“Why else would you break into this castle? You’re always after rare baubles, so it would stand to reason that you’d be interested in acquiring a rare human as well. Did you tell him, or were you planning on taking him as soon as you were alone?” said Petropa. Her voice oozed condescension.

“That’s not why I’m doing this!”

“Did YOU know I wonder?” said Petropa looking down at you. “I hope that you didn’t think she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart. You may be trusting, but you aren’t THAT naïve, are you?”

“Don’t listen to her Anon!” said Choerteris. She pulled a knife from her belt and hurled it at her mother.

Petropa swatted it aside with her magic. “I’ll make a deal with you, Anon. If you capitulate, I’ll forgive you for everything. I’d even be willing to wait for Lussazan’s approval before Emballandae takes you. Choerteris can be very crafty, so I don’t blame you for believing her.” Petropa’s smile faded. “But you’re coming with me one way or another. It would make me VERY happy if you came voluntarily.”

She smiled and floated towards you. You raised your hands to blow her away, but she used her own magic to clamp your hands together. Choerteris leapt off the stage and ran towards you and Petropa. Petropa blasted the floor out from underneath her sending chunks of marble tile flying in all directions.

“My magic may not work on you dear, but it works on everything else!” laughed Petropa. She turned her attention to you. “Come now Anon, cease this futile contumacy and come with me. She only wants you for herself after all.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” You said.

Petropa’s façade of cordiality instantly crumbled. “No matter, she can’t protect you anyways.”

“Like hell I can’t!”

Choerteris hurled another dagger at Petropa which clipped her arm. The vampire yelped and hissed as Choerteris closed in on her again.  
“Why! WHY could you not do as I say?!” shrieked Petropa.

Choerteris didn’t oblige her a reply as she jumped into the air. Petropa could not flap her wings fast enough, and was forced to land to avoid her. You took a shot at her as she launched backwards past you. Once she was safely out of reach of Choerteris’ estoc, she gained altitude again.

“I wanted you to be successful! I wanted you to be able to rule this city! You were my legacy!” said Petropa.

“But I wasn’t ever GOOD enough for you, was I?” said Choerteris throwing a chunk of tile at her.

“You’re a dhampir! All I wanted was for you to leave your humanity behind and embrace your better half!” said Petropa. She warded another one of your blasts and swatted aside the chunk of tile. “I love you, Choerteris, but you won’t let me help you!”

“I won’t ever treat humans like you do.”

“Come to your senses! Look at this thing!” said Petropa. She started to pull at you with her magic but Choerteris grabbed your arms. You gripped her wrists tightly as the two of you were slowly drawn in.

“He’s useless! He can’t fight, think, cook, read… Useless without a strong monster to guide him.” Said Petropa. She abruptly swung you to the side and Choerteris tumbled away. You tried to fire a bolt of magic, but it shot off into the ceiling.

“Perhaps you just need to see humans for what they truly are…”

Taking one of her pristine nails, Petropa made a small cut on one of your wrists.

“Let him go!” shouted Choerteris.

She pulled a knife out of her boot, but froze when she saw the trickle of blood running down your arm.

“Mmm… I thought so.” Said Petropa. “All these years and you still haven’t found a man. Even though you pretend to be a human, you still feel that thirst for mana don’t you? I can only imagine the how starved you must be.”

Choerteris was transfixed on the crimson dribble slowly dripping onto the floor.

“You can smell it, can’t you? I know it must be potent. Emballandae may not have been a good match for him, but you look like you could sink your fangs into him.”

Petropa pressed into the skin around your cut to make more blood well up. You grunted in pain as she wet her fingers. Flicking them towards Choerteris, she sent a small spray towards her daughter.

“I’d be fine with letting you have him. Better my own daughter than one of the plebeians. Wouldn’t you like that? It would be best for everyone after all. You could be just like a vampire, and we could finally stop fighting. With you as his mistress, Anon would be safe. We could be a family again.”

“Choerteris!” you shouted. Petropa clamped your mouth shut and levitated you closer to Choerteris.

“Here, just a taste…”

Choerteris’ eyes grew wide as you got closer. She took a few uneasy steps towards you. Her mouth was agape, and you could see a glistening drop of saliva under her fangs.

“Choerteris…” you grunted.

Petropa raised your arm out to her. The cut had stopped bleeding, but your wrist was smeared with blood. Choerteris reached out with trembling hands to gingerly hold your arm. In desperation you tried to cast a spell. A crackle of energy flowed through your arm, zapping the dhampir with the equivalent of a strong static shock.

Choerteris recoiled a bit. Taking out a clove of garlic from one of her pouches, she popped it into her mouth and began to chew. Closing her eyes, she grimaced and turned away.

You felt Petropa’s grasp tighten on you. “So much for family...”

There was a loud crack and the floor under Choerteris erupted. You lost sight of her as she cartwheeled through the air amidst the debris.

“Ah, so much for that. I thought I might actually be able to hug my baby girl again…” said Petropa wistfully. Her melancholy tone juxtaposed by her pitiless violence against her own daughter incensed you. You didn’t like Petropa before, but you had always seen her as something to avoid rather than hate. But seeing her treat her own daughter like an obstacle tipped the balance between fear and hate. Still held aloft by her magic, you tried to use your magic to do anything you could to Petropa.

“Oh? Did that upset you? It’s good to know you’re loyal enough to fight for your owners. That trait will help you serve Emballandae well.” She brought you closer as you continued your impotent efforts to harm her. Magic sparked out of your hands harmlessly into the air or her wards.

“That’s it. Just let out all that mana~” She cooed. “How about this? I’m in a good mood since you did help me defeat Choerteris, even if you didn’t mean to. So, I’ll let you take a nice long nap before I have Emballandae bleed you like a stock beast. Generous, no?”  
Your arms fell to your side as the flow of magic from your hands abated. It was too tiring to even raise your arms at this point. You needed rest, food, and water that the past sixteen hours had kept from you.

“Uhuhu! It seems like Lilith’s luck smiles upon me today~ My insolent daughter put in her place, and the equally contemptible human remains at my mercy.” Said Petropa. She slipped one of her arms under your knees to cradle you as she began to walk away. “Just sleep now, little meal. We’ll find your mistress soon.”

All you could do was watch the ornate relief on the ceiling pass by. Sleep would take you soon no matter how strongly you resisted it. You closed your eyes and groaned in pain and frustration.

Petropa lurched forwards with a screech, shaking you from your stupor. She dumped you to the floor and flailed her arms trying to claw at her back. As she turned, you saw a realm silver dagger sprouting out of the back of her neck. Already you could see spirit energy leaking out. That familiar heat-haze shimmer like gas from a stove.

“YOU! HOW?!” shrieked Petropa. She pulled the dagger out and fired off a volley of spells through the dusty room.

You propped yourself up in time to see Choerteris speed towards her mother. Petropa drew her sword in time to deflect the first thrust of Choerteris’ sword.

As they began to clash again, it was clear to see that their movements were labored and sluggish. Both of them looked badly injured.

“Choerteris, please! Listen to your mother!” pleaded Choerteris.

Choerteris stepped forwards and took a swing at her. Petropa blocked the swipe, but Choerteris sent her flying with a follow-up kick.  
Petropa yelped and tried to blast the ground out from under the dhampir’s feet. Choerteris belly-flopped out of the way and clamored to her feet.

“For the love of Eros, please!” said Petropa.

“If you want it to end, just let us go.” Said Choerteris.

“I won’t let him slip through my fingers again.” 

Choerteris drew and fired the small crossbow she had strapped to the small of her back in one adroit movement.

The bolt sunk into Petropa’s stomach and she howled in discomfort and rage.

Choerteris hobbled over to her and raised her sword.

“If only you did as much for your OWN FAMILY as you did for that HUMAN.” Hissed Petropa.

Choerteris stabbed her through the chest and the vampire let out a loud moan and went limp.

Turning to you, Choerteris helped you to your feet. Petropa had been right about your mana expenditure; you were too weak to support yourself without Choerteris.

“We have to go. Others will come.” She said.

You grunted and began to limp towards the kitchen.

“Choerteris!”

You were surprised to hear another voice. Cesbron stumbled through the settling dust and rubble in a fit of coughs. It looked like he was limping.

“Daddy!”

You were surprised to hear such a hardboiled monster use the word. Cesbron hurried towards you and you raised a hand to blast him away.

“Anon, stop! He isn’t here to hurt us.” Said Choerteris pulling your hand aside. She ran over to Cesbron and hugged him. He picked her up and twirled her a little before setting her down.

“I was too late again I see…” said Cesbron as he surveyed the carnage.

“I’m sorry…” said Choerteris.

“It’s alright. I knew it would come to this. I’m just glad that neither of you were seriously hurt.” Said Cesbron.

“Awfully caring of you for a man who was about to see me tainted with mana.” You said.

“Actually, I was referring to my wife and daughter.” Said Cesbron.

Oh.

“I really wanted to get along with her this time. I swear! It’s just… she shouldn’t have summoned a human like that. And keeping him here against his wishes was wrong!” said Choerteris.

“You weren’t the only one with reservations about the plan. I do not oppose the summoning of humans, and I did hope that Anon would find a place within our family, but it has been clear for some time now that he is ill suited to Emballandae.”

Cesbron walked over to Petropa and pulled the bolt out of her stomach. Gently, he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Her body seemed to instinctively latch onto him. A content smile spread over her face as she softly snored.

“What am I going to do with you…” said Cesbron.

“So, are you just going to let us go?” you asked.

“I don’t have much of a choice. I’m no fighter, and in all the chaos the guards raided the butler quarters. I’m surprised you can’t hear the commotion from here. Even the disciplined guards abandoned their posts to get a husband.”

So much for all their training. You imagined a room full of well-dressed courteous men being overrun with undead guards. Poor souls were probably going to have five wives a piece when it was over.

“Oh. Well, by then…” you said.

“Given the circumstances I don’t think you can hold it against me when I say it wasn’t all good meeting you, Anon…” said Cesbron hefting his sleeping wife. “…But it was interesting. Do come and visit some time, won’t you?”

You nodded. “Hey, could you say goodbye to Emballandae for me?”

“I’ll pass it along.” He said.

He turned and you both limped your separate ways.

~~~~~~

“Not far now.” Said Choerteris.

You had finally made it to the cellar. Rows of wine casks and crates formed a labyrinth of wood and nails. Choerteris led you as you groggily teaterd along behind her.

“Wait.” She said pressing you up against a barrel. You slumped to the ground and she extinguished the lantern she was holding.

“What is it?” you asked.

“I heard something.”

You closed your eyes and rested your head against the cool wood as Choerteris listened for whatever beast lurked amidst the ancient booze.

“… Come on. I don’t hear it anymore. We’re almost there anyways.”

Just before Choerteris rounded the corner, she abruptly stopped and shoved you away. There was a shrill yell and Emballandae emerged from the shadows with a rapier. She swung wildly at Choerteris, who sidestepped the blow.

“Where do you think YOU’RE going?” she asked.

“Emby! There you are. I wondered where you wound up in all this.” Said Choerteris.

Emballandae grit her teeth and thrust her sword at her sister. Choerteris dodged the strike again, which punctured a cask.

“Did you think I’d let you take him from me? Lapan told me about this place. You’re so predictable.”

“Emby, stop. It’s over.” Said Choerteris.

“You don’t even like me. Just think of this as getting rid of me.” You said.

“No! It isn’t over! I won’t let you win! You won’t just walk away this time!” shouted Emballandae. She charged at Choerteris again who effortlessly grabbed her wrist and disarmed her.

Up ahead, you saw movement in the dim light. Lapan whipped out from behind a box and leveled a crossbow at Choerteris’ chest. You had just enough time to put up a barrier with what little energy you had left before he fired. Though you failed to completely stop it, the bolt clattered to the ground at Choerteris’ feet. Emballandae looked terrified, obviously not anticipating her backup would be so ineffective.

“You, get out here now.” Said Choerteris. 

Lapan tried to load another bolt, but Choerteris held Emballandae in front of her with a bear hug. He set the crossbow down and slowly walked towards the three of you.

“Let the lady go.” He said.

“Fine by me.” Said Choerteris. She let go of Emballandae and pushed her forwards into Lapan’s arms.

Emballandae growled and reached for her rapier, but Lapan held her back.

“Milady, no! It isn’t worth it. Just let that disgrace leave with the leech and be done with them.” Said Lapan.

“No! They can’t leave! He’s mine!” said Emballandae. She started to cry. “Why did you have to come back now? To take my stuff? Now mamma’s gonna be upset and it’s all your fault!”

“Mom’s temper isn’t my problem.” Said Choerteris.

“It’s always your fault! Because you couldn’t be a good vampire, mamma expects ME to make up for your mistakes! And now that you blew up the castle, she’s gonna be even angrier!” wailed Emballandae. Lapan hugged her and she buried her head into his chest.

“Emby, just tell her that you have to live your own life. You know how this works; if you want autonomy you have to be a little forceful.” Said Choerteris.

“I won’t tear our family apart! Not like you! I just want to do the stuff I like without momma bearing down on me. But you ruined everything AGAIN!”

“Emby…”

“I hate you!”

Choerteris turned and picked you up off the ground. “Let’s get out of here.” She mumbled.

Dragging you along, she approached a nearby barrel and opened the lid.

“Passage is through here. Get in.” she said.

You looked back at the sobbing vampire and scowling butler.

“Give me a second…” you said.

“For fuck’s sake Anon, can you just ignore the histrionics and get in the damn barrel?” said Choerteris.

Her words may have been tough, but you could tell she was on the verge of tears. Ignoring her, you rested against a barrel nearby.  
“I’m sorry Emballandae. I really am. I know this isn’t how you wanted things to end, but I think you’ll be happier this way. I know I wasn’t always the best guest, but I really did come to enjoy the time I spent here. It’s just not the place I want to stay forever.”  
Emballandae didn’t respond.

“I hope that you and Choerteris can mend fences after this is all over. From what I’ve seen, this family has a lot of work to do before it’s whole again. It doesn’t have to be fast, but I think that if you reach out with an open hand instead of a fist, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And Lapan…”

He looked at you with a curious expression.

“Take good care of her okay? I’ll come visit someday. Maybe by then this whole fiasco will be far enough in the past that we can all laugh about it as friends.” You said.

Limping back to the cask, Choerteris helped you in and you descended the ladder into the darkness. At the bottom, a small tunnel extended into the inky blackness.

“Start crawling. Hope you brought some kneepads.” Said Choerteris.

With a sigh, you began the long crawl to freedom.

~~~~~~~

Ahh, daylight.

Well, moonlight. You were still in a demon realm after all.

The passage had spit you out at the foot of the hill Tomb Haven was built on. This side, the one opposite most of the town, was a jagged maze of rock and crags. Choerteris hopped down next to you and moved the rock blocking the passage back into place.  
“Where do we go now?” you asked. You really hoped that she was planning on sticking with you until you were safe. No way in hell were you getting back to Admaz without an escort.

“I don’t know. I have to think about where to move you. In the meantime, you can live in my cabin. It’s isolated, and in an area with a low demon presence. Should be safe.”

“Can we rest first?” You asked.

“Oh yeah. We can rest.” Said Choerteris.

Pulling out some of your clothes to use as a blanket. You propped yourself up against a rock face behind some cover and got some sleep before the journey to Choerteris’ cabin.

~~~~~~~

Petropa sat at her desk with her face buried in her hands. The room was filled with silent monsters, all nervously waiting to give their boss their reports. Petropa let out a long sigh and stared through the mass of mamono into the distance.

“Okay… Let’s start with you, Goeth.” Said Petropa. She poured herself an entire water glass of whiskey and rubbed her eyes with one hand.

“Yes milady. Well, during the chaos, Choerteris-“

Petropa slammed her desk hard enough to cause a small crack in the wood.

“…Subject “C” deployed smokescreens that contained aphrodisiacs. Many of the guards were caught in said smoke, and lost inhibition. The quarters serving as residence for the human butlers were raided, and… all viable males were claimed by one or more guards. A total of thirty-seven males are now no longer viable for the butler program.”

Petropa had already finished half the glass of whiskey at this point.

“Great. Next how abou-“

“I’m afraid there’s more, milady…” said Goeth.

“Oh, perfect. Lay it on me!” said Petropa sarcastically. She sneered at the wight before allowing her face to return to a frustrated pout.

“A total of sixty-three guards “married” said butlers, and have decided to quit. That’s about a fifth of our forces, so we’ll have to hire quite a few mamono.”

Petropa finished her glass and refilled it. After it was full she pointed at Lussazan.

“… Is that gesture to signify that I am to go next?” asked Lussazan.

Petropa grabbed the bottle of whiskey and chugged what little remained in the bottom. After the last drop was out, she whipped the bottle at the lich who ducked out of the way.

“YES! OF FUCKING COURSE THAT MEANS YOU, YOU MORONIC FLOATING NUDIST! AND WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, WHY DON’T YOU TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU WERE DURING THIS DISASTER! LILITH KNOWS THAT IF YOU HAD DRAGGED YOUR FAT PURPLE ASS OUT OF BED FOR TEN SECONDS YOU COULD HAVE JUST BLASTED CHOERTERIS TO THE MIST CONTINENT!”

“…Do you really think I’m fat?” said Lussazan covering her tummy.

“Hey! You made her cry.” Scolded Goeth.

“I don’t care! Just give me the damn report!”

“Apologize to her first!”

Petropa gawked at the room full of angry guards and castle staff. A maid gave Lussazan a hug and whispered something in her ear. Lussazan nodded and wiped her eyes. The maid looked over her shoulder at Petropa in disgust.

“Are you SERIOUS?!”

The room silently stared back at Petropa in contempt. Petropa downed a large gulp of whiskey and put her hands in the air.  
“Fine! Fine. You know what. I’m sorry Lussazan. You aren’t fat. Now could you please give me my Eros damn report?” she said resting her chin in her hands and batting her eyelashes at the lich.

“She’s just jealous ‘cause she’s got no ass…” someone murmured from the back of the room.

“WHO SAID THAT?! YOU’RE FIRED! Get out of here!” shouted Petropa. No one moved.

“You fucking… I’ll figure it out later. Lussazan. Baby. Just tell me what the FUCK is going on.”

“Though Anon escaped, I have collected enough samples to continue my work for some time. Given Anon’s amicable nature, I suspect that further sample collection will be possible in the future if I reach out to him. As for my location during the conflict with… “subject C”, hostilities make me anxious, so I was being snuggled by my husband.” Said Lussazan with a blush.

“What, seriously? You really think he’ll just GIVE you samples of blood and cum? I got some NEWS for ya, he HATES this place and EVERYONE in it.” Said Petropa thrusting her mostly empty glass at the crowd. Some whisky sloshed onto he papers resting on her desk.

“Really? I thought he kind of liked it here.”

“Yeah. He was always happy when I saw him.”

“He knew me by name.”

“Never had a bad experience with the guy. Always polite, always said hello.”

"Only time I ever heard him raise his voice was when he was around you, boss."

Petropa let her mouth hang open as she reclined in her chair. Leaning her head back, she stared at the ceiling as the room began to spin.

“You appear inebriated, Lady Petropa. Should we continue this meeting another time? I could fetch you some nausea medica-“

“No. Fuck it.” Said Petropa, cutting off Lussazan. “I’m feeling masochistic so just lay it on me. I don’t care who goes next, just start talking when another person finishes.”

“Err… I guess I’ll go. The damage to the castle was extensive, especially the ballroom. Estimates to repair the damage range from 90 to 130 thousand gold. In addition…”

Petropa listened to the drone of her underlings as nausea and vertigo took their toll on her. Some day she would find Choerteris. The human was a tragic loss of an investment, but ultimately replaceable. Worth no more than the novelty. Choerteris was what she was most focused on. Some day she would find her daughter again. This family was going to be dragged together by her hand one way or another. It was just a matter of time. For now, Petropa knew she needed to grow even stronger.

Leaning over a wastebasket, Petropa realized too late that it was made of wire mesh instead of a solid metal. The meeting was quickly adjourned, and Lussazan and Goeth helped their sobbing boss to her bed.

~~~~~

“I brought you some tea, milady.” Said Lapan.

“Thank you.” Said Emballandae. She didn’t get up from her seat by the window.

Lapan poured her a cup and walked it over to her. She watched him approach in the reflection of the glass. The valley around Tomb Haven sprawled out into the distance under the stars.

“You’re better off without him.” Said Lapan.

Emballandae looked at him.

“Wh- Oh. Anon. Yes, I think so too. I don’t know what I felt when I was with him, but it didn’t sound like what the priests of Eros describe love as. Still, he was fun to have around. Perhaps that's what having a friend is like." She blew into her teacup and savored the scent of spice. "I’m more worried about Choerteris than Anon.”

“She can handle herself.” Said Lapan.

“I know. I just wish she would let the rest of us into her life. I really miss her…”

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she’ll be back if you’re here waiting for her.”

Emballandae took a sip of tea and watched the steam frost the window with mist. Using her finger, she doodled the first symbol in Choerteris’ name before wiping the condensation away.

“Well, it’s getting late. I shall see you again in the morning milady.” Said Lapan with a bow.

“Wait.”

The young butler paused with the tea tray in hand.

“Um… I might need you again. I’m not going to bed right now, so just stay handy in case I need something.” Said Emballandae.

Lapan smiled. “With pleasure, Lady Emballandae.”


	31. Chapter 31

“Anon, get up. Time for breakfast.” Said Choerteris.

You grunted and rolled out of bed.

Choerteris handed you a bowl of stew and sat down across from you at the crude dining table.  
You had been living with her in her isolated cabin for about a month now. It was cramped and drafty, but at least it was safe. At least when Choerteris was here. The walls were filled with dozens of weapons and artifacts collected during her years of adventuring and archeological expeditions. Allegedly, she was a master of every weapon in the cabin, though you doubted she really took the time to learn how to even swing most of them since she spent so much time on the road.

“I got a potential lead on a place where you can stay.” Said Choerteris between spoonful’s of stew. “But before I tell you about that, I have to ask: what do you want to do with your magic?”

“Anything really. It’s all interesting to me.” You replied.

“How about combat magic?” asked Choerteris.

“I thought that was banned?”

“In Admaz, yes. Not forbidden per se, but frowned upon. Especially for men. An educational institution has no need for spells focusing on destruction.”

“What’s wrong with men learning combat magic?” you asked.

“Makes it harder to rape them.”

You watched as Choerteris drained the rest of her stew and set the bowl down. Apparently she wasn’t joking.

“Oh…”

“Hey, it’s not like mamono have much use for it either. Most monsters don’t fight with each other that much, and men hardly put up a fight. Why bother conjuring a boulder to throw at a guy when you can just bearhug him?”

“That makes sense.” Even Morala probably could have pinned you if she felt like it. “So who is this person? Some monk? An old warrior?”

“No, it’s an adventuring school.” Said Choerteris.

“Adventuring school?”

“Yep. My alma mater, actually. Gets monsters ready to delve into dungeons and human territories.”

“Another school, huh?” you said.

“I know you feel like Admaz sold you out by handing you over to Emballandae but try to see it from their perspective. You were going to get taken one way or another, best to minimize casualties and try to keep you from getting hurt or raped in the chaos. Do you really think that some of the mamono would pass up a chance to ‘secure’ you in the heat of battle?”

You grunted.

Choerteris watched you with concern. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back? I’m sure they’d love to have you. Everyone you know is there after all.”

“I can meet new people. People who will have my back when I need it.” You said.

Choerteris snorted in annoyance. “Personally, I think you should just go back to Admaz. If you want to learn magic, that’s the place to be. But if you insist on finding somewhere else, the Valisias Academy said that they would take you.”

“Works for me. Is it just less magic oriented than the College?” you asked.

Choerteris fidgeted. “Not exactly. It’s a lot of practical techniques. Field exercises. The academic portion is mostly pertaining to history or survival techniques. And well…”

“What’s wrong?”

Choerteris looked at you sternly. “Men are rather uncommon. The ones that go to Valisias go to learn how to support mamono when they go on adventures. Healing, cartography, history, that kind of thing.”

“There weren’t that many guys at Admaz either. I’m used to it.” You replied.

“That’s not the point. The mamono at Valisias have a very… ‘conservative’ idea of what a man should be doing. Namely getting fucked. Adventuring is tough work, and it attracts tough monsters. You’ve had a VERY sheltered view of mamono culture so far. The monsters at the academy won’t have any qualms with taking you if even if you say no.” said Choerteris.

“You’re saying that it’s full of chauvinists?” you said.

“Full of strong and sadistic chauvinists. Within the first week, the strongest monsters claim every bachelor in the school. They’re used to men who’ll lie down and get fucked, or break. To them, a man is something to be protected. Trying to learn combat magic will be… an uncomfortable notion to many of them.”

“So, I’ll get [flak] for not falling into gender norms?”

“Yes. I think so. You really need to stop relying on that amulet so much.”

You ran your hand over the amulet of articulation. She was right. Every time you felt like you were starting to learn the language, something awful would happen and you’d atrophy. It wasn’t as if you couldn’t get by without it, but it was so much more convenient to wear it. And it was your only chance to have a conversation in English.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyways, you’ve been to Valisias. What are the odds that I get out without a surprise wedding?” you asked.

“Low.” Answered Choerteris without hesitation. “Some monsters might restrain themselves so that you don’t get mana poisoning, but there are absolutely some that will take you even if it means you’d be hurt in the process.”

“Then why would you even suggest this place?” you asked.

“Your magic is your saving grace. Most of the monsters at Valisias don’t have magic; they’d be somewhere else if they did. I’ve seen what you can do first hand; blasting away a vampire is no easy feat even for a mamono. The monsters will think twice about trying to rape you after getting tossed like a ragdoll.”

“But it isn’t that simple, is it?”

“It isn’t. You’d still have to watch out for poison, sneak attacks, nighttime raids, and monsters working as a team to rape you.” Said Choerteris.

“Again, I feel as though you’re trying to keep me AWAY from this place.” You said.

Choerteris shook her head. “I think that it’s just the kind of experience you need. You haven’t told me what type of monster you’re interested in, but chances are you’ll have to fight your way to her eventually. If you don’t learn how to defend yourself now, you might never get the chance to learn later.”

She was right. Even in Admaz mamono were starting to get a little to assertive.

“With all that being said, I don’t think you’ll be in too much danger.” Said Choerteris.

You cocked your head. “Huh? You spent all that time trying to convince me how dangerous it is there, and then dismiss all those claims?”

“True, you’ll be fighting for your pelvis most days. But so will everyone else.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any safer…”

“You haven’t seen what the Academy is like. The students fight over everything, men especially. What do you think will happen when you show up?”

“A riot?” you said sarcastically.

Choerteris laughed. “Not quite. Even though those meatheads don’t understand consent, they DO understand hierarchy. The strongest monsters will all be clamoring to get your attention, tearing each other apart in the process. The weaker ones wouldn’t dare and try to steal you away from someone who can tear their arms off.”

“Ah. So instead of a whole school of monsters, I only have to deal with a handful of incredibly powerful monsters. How comforting.”

“There’s always Admaz…” said Choerteris.

“No, it’s high time that I learn how to defend myself. I’m tired of relying on other people to keep me alive.” You said. 

Combat experience would also be indispensable if you had to fight through other monsters to get to your desired girl. Whoever that turned out to be. You had been making a list of pros and cons for each monster species that you were considering. It was a slow process considering how many species there were to consider. You had also taken it upon yourself to do some extra research regarding monsters you were skeptical about. It would be foolish to marry a girl based on a paragraph of information in an encyclopedia after all.

“If you say so. I think you can do it, but there’s always the chance that things may backfire. I’ll contact the Academy and tell them you’re coming.” Said Choerteris.

“Does that mean you’re leaving again?”

“Yep.”

“How long this time?”

“A few days.”

Not too bad, but it meant you had to cook for yourself. How you could make something so rancid and unpalatable from simple ingredients was baffling. After your second failed stew, you had decided to just eat raw vegetables and roasted meat until Choerteris returned.  
“Be safe and-“ started Choerteris as she walked out the door.

“Don’t let anyone in. I know. I can handle myself.” You assured her.

She smiled. “See you in a few days!”

~~~~~

“Anon! I’m back! They said the-“ Choerteris paused when she saw you eating a baked potato. Not really baked, but you had heated it on a stick over the fire before eating it raw. The inside was still cold.

“Maybe putting you in the Academy isn’t such a good idea after all…” she muttered.

“Hey! It’s food. It doesn’t have to be tasty, just nourishing. You said they accepted me?” you asked.

“Of course they did. We’ll be heading there tomorrow.” Said Choerteris.

“Wow, that fast huh?”

“Yep. Pack your things tonight, we leave when it’s light out.”

Choerteris began preparing herself, throwing odds and ends into her pack.

“Think we’ll have any trouble getting there?” you asked, watching her slip a knife into her belt.

“With you? I’d guarantee it.” Chuckled the dhampir.

You snorted and finished the last of your potato. “Who’s the boss of the Academy?”

“A dark valkyrie named Maranth. Well-traveled, and well respected. She’s seen a lot of combat over the years.” Said Choerteris.

“I’d imagine. What do you think she’ll make of this whole situation?”

“She probably won’t care. Between administrative work and loving her husband, she doesn’t spend much time doing anything else. If you were getting raped in front of she would probably just walk around you.”

“Huh. Doesn’t sound like someone you’d want in charge of an institution…” you mused.

“The other instructors make up for it. Some of them anyways. When I went there, I swear my salamander sword-master did half the paperwork in the school.” She laughed. “Not all the mamono there are as… barbaric as others. Valisias churns out plenty of respectable and ‘chivalrous knight’ types too.”

“But mostly rapists.” You said.

“Yes, mostly rapists.” She sighed. “Oh, and that reminds me. I know that slavery is a big taboo in your society, but here? It’s just another aspect of life. A necessity in some places. Plenty of monsters get their husband from a market if there are no men in the surrounding regions.” She set her backpack down. “Some of the mamono are there to learn how to catch men. Promise me you won’t try and do anything heroic.” Said Choerteris.

“I won’t. But if they come after me, I’m smacking them extra hard.” You said.

She grinned. “I suspected as much. Now come on, get packed for tomorrow. I want to go to bed early.”

You nodded and collected what few possessions you had. Twisting one of the limiter rings on your finger, you silently prayed that Choerteris was right about your magic. If she was wrong on even one account, it would be a VERY short semester.

~~~~~~

“There it is!” said Choerteris.

You pushed aside the underbrush and drank in the view. Valisias sprawled out before you amidst the grassy plains below. Farms and barns speckled the land outside the city, as wheat blew in the shade of massive windmills. Forested hills rolled off to the east, one of which you now stood on.

You were exhausted. Being on the road with Choerteris made you realize just how much of a gap there was in your stamina and speed. She had been able to make the journey to and from the city in a few days. It had taken just as long to arrive with you in tow.

“Great.” You wheezed.

“There’s the Academy. See the big building on the other side of the city?” said Choerteris.

You nodded. Unlike the gothic-esque style of Admaz, this building looked like it had been built without aesthetics in mind. A plain, grey stone cube attached to what might pass as an office building. Even from here, you could see the half a dozen training fields and what looked like a small colosseum. 

“Come on, you’re almost there. If you think this is bad, just wait until basic training.” Said Choerteris.

“Training?” you said weakly.

Choerteris slid down the incline, riding a wave of dirt as she slid down what some would consider to be a cliff. You groaned and tried to follow her, sliding down on all fours.

~~~~~

“Hey, do you know if Maranth told anyone I was coming?” you asked.

“No, why?” said Choerteris.

“Just trying to get an idea of how much of a ‘welcoming party’ will be waiting for us.”

The two of you were almost in the city now. Unlike many other towns you had been too, there was no wall surrounding Valsias. Such a defensive structure was probably extraneous when the town was home to a perennial army of battle-hungry monsters.

“She must have told people; if they agreed to accept you then they have to make preparations.” Said Choerteris.

“That’s what I was afraid of… Let’s try and stay out of crowded areas. And stay close to me.” You said. Pulling your hood over yourself, you hid your hands inside a pair of thin gloves. Everything you could to make yourself seem like a normal human.

“Yeah. We’ll stay in the outskirts of town and circle around the city.”

Following your dhampir guide through the alleyways and houses, you began to see the first denizens of Valisias. Surprisingly, the composition of species didn’t seem that different from Admaz. Succubi, demons, harpies, lamias… all went about their business as you watched them from the shadows.

“Ooh… What's that succulent smell?”

The sinister voice snaps you out of your people watching. Monster watching. Whatever it was.

An arachne crawled over the eve of the roof above you and smiled. “Well well! What are you doing here little guy?~”

“He’s with me.” Said Choerteris brusquely. She hooked her arm around yours and dragged you away.

“Hey! He isn’t claimed yet, right? How about we share him? I can tie him up nice and tight, and we can take turns.” Said the arachne.  
Choerteris ignored her. You noticed her free hand move to the hilt of her rapier.

“Hey you bitch! I’m talking to you!”

Choerteris shoved you into a wall, leaping away as a spray of webbing splattered against the ground where you two had been standing. By the time you were on your feet, Choerteris was already on the roof swinging at the spider. Taking aim at the spider woman, you prepared to blast her.

“NO!” shouted Choerteris, seeing your hand raised.

She lunged at the spider, using her sword to swat away her flailing hands and thrust into the arachne’s torso. The arachne moaned and collapsed, sliding off the roof and landing in heap of legs and leaking web. Rushing over, you breathed a sigh of relief as you saw she was still breathing.

“Come on. We have to go. Other mamono heard that.” Said Choerteris.

“Just let me know if I need to give you some backup.” You said summoning a spark of blue fire in your hand.

“I said no! If you use magic now, it’ll be a beacon to every monster in the city.”

The two of you ran on, Choerteris peaking around corners and you panting beside her.

“Almost there, we’ll go to the wall and skirt around it until we reach the entrance.”

Now that you were getting deeper into the city, it had become clear that Valisias was a more feral place than Admaz. The closer you got to the Academy, the more warriors you saw. There was an overt gradient of muscle and height from the outskirts to the center of town. Apparently street fights were an accepted form of public entertainment too. More than once you caught a glimpse of a crowd thronging around a pair of monsters slugging it out.

“Okay. Here we are.” Said Choerteris with a sigh of relief. “Last chance. Once you’re inside, there’s no guarantee you’re coming out without a wife.”

You felt a rush of magic circulate your body as adrenaline began to pump through you. “I’m ready.”

Choerteris tried to smile. Clearly she thought you were surrendering your bachelor rights.

“Just… don’t get killed, alright? Lussazan told me that you were adapting well to demonic energy, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe to get fucked by a lilim. If you do get jumped, make sure she takes it slow.” Said Choerteris.

“I’ll try.” You said. Not that you thought a rapist would listen to her partner’s requests…

“Alright then. Let’s go meet Maranth.”

Choerteris sidled around the side of the wall and approached the front gate. You followed close behind.

Valisias Academy really was a savage place. The second you entered the courtyard, you realized that it was less of a school and more of a bootcamp. A few choked weeds huddled against the sides of the buildings were all that grew in the dusty ground. Monsters sauntered around with weapons and armor. As you got closer, you could smell the pungent scent of sweat saturating the air. None of the students batted an eye as a werewolf tackled a grizzly to the ground and began beating her.

But it was the height that you found most intimidating. In Admaz, most monsters were about your height. Here? Here you were painfully below average. Most of the girls here looked at least six foot eight.

And all of them were the type who wouldn’t have any qualms with rape. Amazons, ocelomeh, ogres, minotaurs, orcs, werewolves, manticores, redcaps… If it raped, it was here.

“Keep moving. And keep your head down.” Hissed Choerteris, taking your hand.

You realized that you had been staring at the monsters around you. Some of them were starting to stare back. Several of the small packs of mamono had turned their attention to you, murmering amongst themselves. A few of them pointed or scowled.

“Hey, you there.”

This time, you didn’t bother looking back. Choerteris picked up her pace and you matched it without missing a beat.

“Hey, human! I said stop.”

The voice was closer now. You didn’t dare turn around, but you could feel whatever monster was hailing you approaching. The ground vibrated with every step she took.

“Ignore me, huh? Who’s that? You’re wife?”

Choerteris pulled you forwards and twisted around in one fluid movement, positioning herself between you and your aggressor. An ogre stood over Choerteris, looking down at her.

“We’re on our way to meet Maranth. You wouldn’t want to delay us, would you?” asked Choerteris.  
The ogre grimaced at the mention of Maranth’s name. She snorted. As she turned away, she caught a glimpse of your face.  
“What the hell…?”  
Uh oh.  
“Hey! What’s the deal with him? He looks funny!” said the ogre.

“You sure know how to woo a man Gora! How do you not have a husband when you have such a way with words?” called a monster from the crowd. The other mamono chuckled.

The ogre blushed. “Who said that?!”

“I did, you permavirgin!”

You couldn’t see who exactly was antagonizing the massive woman but you were thankful for the distraction.

“Come here!” roared the ogre. She shoved her way through the crowd and a moment later you heard a loud thud and cheer as a fight broke out.

You felt a hand reaching through the barrier protecting your back. Choerteris had insisted that you put up a weak ward protecting your back at all times, just incase something tired to stab you in the back. Twisting around, you readied your hands to blast away whoever was trying to grab you.

“Izzis him?”

A blue-skinned woman with black wings bent down to get a better look at you under your hood. She had a hand rolled cigarette hanging out of her mouth, blowing fragrant smoke at you as she looked you over. It smelled like mint and sage. Through the wide gaps in her armor, you could see a litany of tiny scars covering her body. You reflexively raised your barrier as she reached her hands out to your face. She raised an eyebrow as her hand caught on your ward. Her fingers flashed as a small arc of magic shattered your ward. Grabbing your chin, she forced your head upward.

“Yep.” she said with a puff of smoke.

“Maranth!” said Choerteris. 

“Oh! There you are.” Said Maranth. The dark valkyrie abruptly backhanded Choerteris with an armored gauntlet.

Choerteris yelped.

“That’s for bringing a man through the front gate. I trained you better than that; stuff him through a window. Come on, let’s go get his paperwork signed.” Said Maranth.

You looked between your guide and the Valkyrie. Choerteris gave you an apologetic smile as she held her cheek. “Welcome to the Academy.”

Noticing the hoard of mamono in the courtyard were beginning to form a semicircle around you, you hurried after the headmistress with your dhampir in tow.

~~~~~~

You sat patiently as Maranth looked over a small pile of paperwork. Her office was a mess. Papers littered every surface including the floor. Crumpled sheets jutted out from filing cabinets stuffed far beyond capacity. From the scent of sex in the air, you suspected that Maranth did more fucking than filing.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So let me get this straight, Anon. You want to enroll in an academy of violent rapists to learn how defend yourself from violent rapists, because if you’re violently raped you’ll die?”

“…Yes.”

“Because you can’t defend yourself against violent rapists.” Said Maranth flatly.

“I can, but I’d like to get better at it.” You said.

“Anon, how much did Choerteris tell you about this place?” asked Maranth.

“She said that it was brutal; that there’s a good chance that I’ll be claimed.” You said.

“Mmhmm. Do you see what I’m getting at here? Do you understand why I’m apprehensive to let you in?” said Maranth.

“Headmistress, I know he doesn’t seem like much…”

Hey!

“…But he has potential. I’ve seen it. He may not be especially strong or smart, but he makes up for it in other ways.

Hey!!

“Mmm yes…” Maranth flipped through a few pages. “You say he helped you fight through a legion of guards and your mother to earn his freedom. Tell me Anon, do you have any OTHER combat experience?”

“You mean like the time I thrashed my way through an army of undead? Or the time I stopped an amazon raid on an elf village?” you replied smugly.

“Ahh yes… the undead army that was under orders not to hurt you. And the amazon raid, were you on the front lines?”

“Yeah! I mean, it became the front lines by the end of the fight.” You said.

Maranth stared at you. “Right. Well, I’m sorry Anon but I can’t allow you to enroll here.”

“What?! Then why did you accept me in the first place?!” you said.

“The way Choerteris described you, I assumed you would be some sort of combat protégé. But seeing the way you meandered into a yard full of monsters who would grind your pelvis to dust without any regard to your safety or the situation around you… I realized you were a fluke.”

“A fluke?! You haven’t even seen what I can do yet!” you protested.

“What do you even want to learn here!? Just go back to Admaz! You human men are always so conceited. Since you can’t seem to wrap your head around this, let me put it simply: you are WEAK. If you enroll here, you WILL be raped. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate to enroll someone like you; seeing pretty young men humbled under the hips of a monster happens to be a hobby of mine. But YOU might die. If a man died at the Academy, it would ruin the reputation. If YOU died here, we would have to close our doors.”

“Headmistress, please. At least put him through the training course before you reject him.” Said Choerteris.

“No, Choerteris. I’m surprised you of all people would be so willing to put a human in harm’s way. Look at this…”

Maranth pulled a sheet of paper out of the stack and spun it around to face you and Choerteris. It was some sort of graph. A line starting at the bottom snaked its way up towards dozens of horizontal lines. You recognized that some labels on the horizontal lines as species of mamono. Hooray for literacy!

“What’s this?” asked Choerteris, looking over the sheet.

“Something your friend Lussazan cooked up. A graph of his tolerance to demonic energy compared to the average demonic energy output for each species of mamono.” Said Maranth.

Holy shit. You were PAST some of those lines. Leaning over Choerteris’ arm, you tried to see which monsters you could fuck and survive to cuddle. You felt a twinge of disappointment; most of the mamono you could safely bed were ones you had no interest in. At least there were some options that you would be fine with. But you were after the best match possible. None of the species on your list were anywhere close to being safe.

“My advice? Just find him a cupid or unicorn that he can fuck and call it. The girls here are too far beyond his limits.”

“You don’t even know what my limits are!”

“He’s got a point, headmistress. If you were willing to accept my recommendation before seeing him, what’s the harm in letting him take the entrance exam?” said Choerteris.

Maranth sighed. “Fine. He can run the gauntlet. But only after he signs a statement saying that he takes full responsibility for whatever happens to him.”

“I can take whatever you throw at me.” You said confidently.

Choerteris squirmed.

“I highly doubt that…” chuckled Maranth.

~~~~~

“So what exactly is this test?” you whispered to Choerteris.

“It’s a multiple part exam designed to weed out weak recruits and assess the skills of the ones who make the cut. I can’t tell you anything else…” said Choerteris.

You both followed Maranth through one of the buildings until you arrived at a classroom. Inside, dozens of mamono were hunched over their desks furiously scribbling away at a test.

“There’s a written portion?” you hissed.

Choerteris shrugged and motioned you inside.

Maranth nodded to the lizardman teacher and picked a test up off her desk. Handing it to you, she gave you a quill and directed you to a seat.

Shuffling through the rows of mamono, you plopped yourself into a seat at the back of the room and began looking over the test. That none of the mamono even bothered to look up at a man passing by them was not a good sign…

~~~~~~~

“Congratulations, Anon.” said Maranth.

“Really?” you asked hopefully. Maybe by some miracle you had just barely passed by doing well on the multiple choice.

“Yes, you managed to figure out which end of the quill was used for writing. More than I expected of you.” Sneered Maranth. “That being said, you are well within the lowest intelligence bracket.”

Oh.

“Oh don’t worry. I’m sure you can recoup some of your grade on the physical exam.” Snickered Maranth.

She led you and Choerteris out of the hall towards a training field. This one had dozens of obstacles scattered throughout. Ladders, ropes, pits, walls, and drops all stood between you and the finish line.

Maranth directed you to a starting line where other mamono were queuing up to run the course. At regular intervals, the jinko instructor would send another candidate through the course.

“Can I use magic?” you asked Maranth.

“No.”

“What?! Why?”

“We have a separate exam for students with magical aptitude. Now go.”

Keeping as much distance as possible from the lamia in front of you, you shuffled forward with the line. The jinko waved the snake woman on, and she slithered dexterously up and over the first wall. Turning her attention back to you, the tiger woman’s stoic demeanor cracked a bit when she saw you. She pursed her lips and looked you over. Her hesitation was warranted; you only came up to her chest. But you were going to show these monsters that you were more than just some scrawny human. With a sigh and a pitied look, she waved you on.

Surging forward, you scrambled up over the first wall. Hoisting your legs over the other side, you flopped onto the ground beyond and continued. You attempted to leap across a pit, only to fall short and slam painfully into the far side. You could hear a few mamono laughing as you picked yourself up and clawed your way out of the hole. The next obstacle was simple: carry a ladder to a high wall, climb up, shift the ladder to the other side and climb down. You grabbed the ladder and lifted. Oh fuck, it was heavy! Whatever wood was used to construct this thing was supernaturally dense. Straining, you managed to pick it up a few inches off the ground and shuffle towards the wall.

The sound of feet moving through mud alerted you to the presence of something approaching you from behind. Setting the ladder down, you panted and raised your barriers. Surely the refs wouldn’t hold this against you. A mantis sprinted towards the pit you had fallen into and gracefully crossed it with a single bound. Without hesitation, she hooked her claws between the rungs of a second ladder and carried it to the wall. In a flash, she was at the top and hoisting the ladder to the other side. Shit. You were falling behind.  
After a minute of dragging and gasping, you finally sat at the foot of the wall. Positioning yourself under the end of the ladder, you pushed hard to move pit upwards. Erecting the ladder was easier than carrying it, now that you could make better use of your legs to push it. As your ladder tapped against the wall, a second one clattered up next to it. A kakuen hurried up and straddled the wall looking down at you.

“Better hurry cutie~”

You grumbled and hurried after her. Reaching the top of the wall, you did your best to lift the ladder. Nope. Not going to happen. You had trouble lifting this thing when it was on the ground. Not a chance you were getting it over a giant wall.

Maranth looked up at you from the ground. “Is there a problem, Anon?”

You glowered at her. Both of you knew that you were finished.

She sneered at you. “Don’t worry, I’m sure one of the other girls can help you out.” She motioned to a ghoul who was tearing her way through the course. “Get him down from there.”

You contemplated just falling off the wall, but knew that if you were seriously hurt it would not only ruin your chances of getting into the Academy, but also trigger predator instincts in half the girls around you. No telling what some of these girl’s ideas of ‘healing’ might entail.

The ghoul was more than happy to acquiesce. Hurrying to the top of her ladder, she scooted over to you.

“Heh heh… Come here boy.”

You were tempted to scoot away from her as she moved towards you, but there was nowhere to go. Lowering your barrier, she wrapped one of her arms under your arms and across your chest. Even with just one arm, she was strong enough to support your entire weight and get the ladder to the other side of the wall. You squirmed as her breasts pressed into your back. As she carried you down the ladder, the ghoul took the opportunity to take a deep whiff of your hair and flick your ear with her tongue. When you reached the ground, you tried to struggle free.

“Come find me later. A guy like you shouldn’t be walking around here unattended~” said the ghoul, giving you a squeeze.

You threw her arm off and she laughed before continuing through the course. Hanging your head, you approached Maranth at the side of the track. She just raised an eyebrow.

“You quittin’?”

“Huh?”

“Are you done? If you are then get off the track. Otherwise, clock’s still ticking.” Said Maranth.

“I’m not disqualified?”

“No. I can tell you right now that you’re failing, but you can still run the rest of the course if you like.”

You looked back at the obstacle course. You were less than a quarter of the way to the finish.

“Just hurry it up if you’re run it. I’d like to get home to my husband at a reasonable hour.” Said Maranth.

Best to finish what you started. Turning back to the course, you hurried to catch up with the other applicants.

~~~~~~

“Aaaaannnd… Time.” Said Maranth. You collapsed at her feet.

Choerteris bent down to see if you were okay. You waved her away and tried to say that you were alright through your wheezing.

“Let’s see… Not only did you finish with a below average pace, even for a man, you couldn’t complete four of the obstacles.” Said the valk.

You threw an arm over your face. It was a humiliating showing, no matter how you looked at it. Now your muscles were on fire and your dick hurt from being groped by all the girls who had to help you through the course.

“Normally I would give you the boot at this point, but I think it’s pretty hilarious to see you get put in your place. I’m also curious to see just what kind of magic you’re packing. So you can take the magical aptitude test after dinner.” Said Maranth.

“Come on Anon, I’ll show you where the mess hall is.” Said Choerteris. She threw your arm over her shoulder and dragged you away.

Some of the monsters who had ‘helped’ you on the obstacle course jeered at you as you passed them.

“See you soon, handsome!”

“Hope you know how to heal, mage! You’re going to need to fix your hips once I’m done with you!”

“Shoulda stayed at home, slut! Now I’m gonna TAKE you home!”

You ignored them as you limped into the dining hall. You’ll show them. You’ll show them all!

~~~~~~

Making friends looked like it was going to be your top priority. Unlike Admaz, there were no smaller tables to dine at. Just long benches packed shoulder to shoulder with mamono. Choerteris had found a spot at the end of a bench for you, ensuring that you wouldn’t have to sit next to a total stranger on your first night here. Even though she could protect your side by sitting next to you, the spot across from you was fair game for the rest of the students in the school. If they could be called students…

An amazon who had been following you through the food line sat down on the other side of the bench. You kept your attention on your food as she stared holes through you.

“Boy.”

Don’t react. Just ignore her.

“Look at me, boy.” Said the amazon, pounding the table.

Focus on the potatoes…

The amazon slammed her knife into the table in front of your plate. You recoiled and nearly fell out of your seat. Choerteris seized her hand. The whole room hushed as the mamono waited to see how this would unfold.

The amazon wrenched her hand free. This time, you couldn’t avoid her stare.

“You don’t belong here.” she seethed.

“That isn’t for you to decide.” Said Choerteris.

“This isn’t a place for men. If he’s a healer, he should just marry and be done with it. Otherwise…” she narrowed her eyes. “He’s going to get exactly what he deserves.”

The warrior woman unseated herself and walked away, leaving the knife embedded in the table. You clenched your silverware and kept your head down to avoid the stares of the other monsters.

Now that the seat was empty, other monsters realized that it was their chance to acquaint themselves with you. A lithe demon sat herself down across from you.

“Don’t worry about her. Some of the monsters here can be mean sometimes. But if you stick close to me, I’ll make sure to protect you~ Your name's Anon, ri-“

Her flimsy pickup attempt was interrupted by a vicious hip-check from a high orc. The demon yelped and slid off the bench onto the floor.

“Out of the way, cunt. This one’s ours.” Said the high orc. The other orcs around her jeered in agreement.

With a snarl the demon kicked the orc in the gut, sending her reeling back. She bumped into a rough looking manticore, forcing the core’s chest into her plate.

“Oi!”

Turning around, the manticore threw the horc into the table in an impressive display of martial arts. Through the table actually. 

Seeing the massive pig-woman held aloft, you managed one last bit of food before the table was turned to matchwood. The other mamono at the table were rightly outraged by the interruption to their dining experience and joined the ensuing brawl. Choerteris yanked your collar, hauling you away as cheers rang out from the dining hall.

“Some things never change…” she muttered.

~~~~~~

“And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for.” Said Maranth.

The sun had set below the horizon. You were on a mostly empty training field filled with magical trials. A small crowd of monsters were watching from the sidelines. Choerteris stood next to her old teacher and a man whom you didn’t recognize.

“I hope you live up to the hype kid.” Said the valk.

“Dear…” muttered the man next to her.

“Oh relax. If he can’t handle banter, he doesn’t deserve to be here.” Said Maranth nuzzling his shoulder. “Anon, this is Osar.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” You said.

He chuckled. “Sir? Awfully formal of you. I don’t teach at the Academy, I just help Maranth with the paperwork and occasionally tutor students.” 

You nodded and looked back at the training course.

“So Anon, before we begin we’re supposed to ask you a few questions about your magic.” Said Maranth looking at a clipboard. “What would you say are your strengths?”

“I’m good at blasting things.” You said confidently.

“Mmhmm… And what is your greatest weakness?” asked Maranth scribbling something.

“Fine control.” You said.

“I see. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, how broad would you say your repertoire is?”

“…Two…” you mumbled. It was embarrassing, but you hadn’t learned that many spells yet.

“No shame in that. Others have been using magic their whole lives.” Said Osar.

“Alright, I think that should do it.” Said Maranth. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The first test was simple: thread a needle using magic. It took a few minutes of trying before you were able to fit the thread through. Next, moving a pile of rock from one location to the other. Lifting the rocks was a cinch. For the first time, Maranth gave you a small nod of approval as you finished the test. Moving on, you came across a succubus with a bandage wrapped around her arm. She licked her lips as you approached.

“Hey there little guy! You taking the test? I got hurt and could use some healing~” she said waving her arm at you.

“We’re skipping this one Anon, I don’t want you experimenting with healing magic without supervision.” Said Maranth.

“What?!” squawked the succubus. You moved on to the next area, a wooden training dummy.

“Alright Anon, I know you said you’re good at destroying things so this should be right up your alley. Just burn the dummy.” Said Maranth.

Burn? Your attacks always looked like they were hot, but you don’t recall actually burning anything. Channeling your magic, you did your best to envision a torrent of flames.

A gout of blue fire erupted from your palms. The dummy was knocked over as the magic collided with it, pushing it along the ground. Cutting off flow of energy, you were disappointed to see that the dummy wasn’t even seared.

“Next.”

Barrier test. A lizard man took a few swings at your wards, before letting a dark mage throw a few fireballs at you. The dark mage waggled her fingers at you and made a blowjob motion with her hand and tongue. She stopped when the lizard slapped her on the back of her head, almost knocking her hat off.

“Good work. You’ll need a strong defense if you want to survive here.” Said Maranth.

After a few more tests, Maranth grinned at you. “Now for the fun part. Normally we don’t require too much for the offensive magic portion of the exam, but I want you to show the girls what will happen to them if they try to lay a paw on you.”

She swept her arms out. “So, I’ll let you use the whole field for this one. Just pick a target and blast away.”

You looked around. “Any target?”

Maranth nodded.

Surveying the field, you spied a giant boulder sitting at the far side, near the crowd. Maranth must have surmised what you were thinking.

“You wanna zap that boulder?” she asked.

“Ahh, sorry Anon.” said Osar. “That’s training equipment. How abo-“ 

“It’s fine! It’s just a boulder, we can always find another one.” Said Maranth dismissively. “Now let’s head over.”

“Head over?” you asked.

“Hmm? Were you planning on shooting it from here?” asked Maranth. You saw Choerteris grin ever so slightly.

“I was, but we can go over if that’s how the exam works.” You said.

“Oh no, by all means, please continue.” Chuckled Maranth.

Planting your feet you took a deep breath and focused on the boulder. Some of the girls in the crowd were talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what you were doing.

“Can you tell them to stand back?” you asked.

Maranth gave you a condescending grin. “Oh of course! HEY! MEAT HEADS! STEP BACK A BIT!” she called.

The mob was obviously dubious of your claim. Most only stepped back a few paces. A few stood firmly in place. Oh well, you warned them.  
“That far enough for you?” asked Maranth.

“Yeah.” You said.

Exhaling slowly, you began to channel energy in preparation for the pending strike. Wind began to swirl across the training ground.

“Mmm?” grunted Maranth.

The hair on your arms stood up as the feeling of static covered your body. A glowing maelstrom manifested over the offending rock, slowly spinning as you forced more power into it. Gritting your teeth, you discharged the energy downward onto the rock.

A blue beam shot down, pulverizing the boulder and the ground around it. The crowd lurched back with a cacophony of screams as the crackle of magic echoed across the field. Mamono who were too prideful to heed your warning were pelted with pebbles and dust.

“Oh ho ho!” Cheered Maranth. “Good stuff kid! Holy shit, maybe you really WILL be alright here!” she said, clapping you on the back.

“Told you he was worth it. He might be piss poor at everything but brute force, but I think he’ll flesh out his talents soon enough.”   
Said Choerteris.

Osar stared at the hole where the boulder was.

“Hot damn! You’re like one of those cannons that the Order has. Glad that monsters found you before humans did.” Said Maranth. “Personally I still think you're rape bait, but at least you aren't totally helpless. I’ll tell you what, as long as you sign a waiver abdicating my responsibility for your death, you can attend class here. But I hope you learn quick or sleep lightly; you won’t last long otherwise.”

“Deal.” You said.

Your body was already protesting its treatment. The combination of intense physical exertion and magical discharge had left you enervated.

“How ‘bout we find your room. You look like you could use a bed.” Snickered Maranth.

“Yeah. Bed sounds good.” You said.

Following the dark valkyrie to the dormitories, you glanced at the crowd of mamono. Others had joined them, curious as to what had caused all the noise. They didn’t even bother trying to hide the fact that they were talking about you; most stared or even pointed at you as they explained what had transpired.

“Looks like you’re already popular.” Mused Maranth. Choerteris glared at the mamono ogling you.

You stared back at the pack of monsters. It was clear that many were surprised by your display of force. The cocky grins and pitying looks you had taken all day were replaced with quiet respect. At least they would think twice before jumping you. Stepping into the dormitory, you let the heavy door shut behind you, blocking out the sounds of night on the plains.

~~~~~~

“Well, that went better than I expected.” Said Choerteris. “Or worse, if you think about it. Now you’re really in the belly of the beast.”

She plopped down onto your rickety cot. The room you had been given looked more like a cell than a dorm room. Unpacking what little clothing you had and stuffed it into a small dresser. It was more like a footlocker. Thankfully, you had only escaped Tomb Haven with a few trinkets from your life on earth and an armful of spare clothing. All of it fit comfortably in the spartan storage space.

“Hey, be safe, okay? If you ever need anything, just send for me. I’ll come as soon as I can.” Said Choerteris. She fidgeted with the pommel of her sword.

“I might just take you up on that. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much; if anyone gets too ‘insistent’, I can probably just zap my way out of the city.” You said.

Choerteris smirked at you. “And what? Survive in the wilderness? I seem to recall you having trouble boiling vegetables while I was away.”

“I only have to pack enough provisions to last until you show up. I’ll even meet you halfway!”

“Goodluck finding that much edible food around here. I love this place, but the food was the worst part. Hope you’re not a picky eater.”

“I think the ever-present threat of rape and or death by rape will be a good incentive to keep my energy up.” You said.

Choerteris smiled weakly, clearly unnerved by your joke.

“Just make sure you survive. It’d be too humiliating to have to beg my sister to resurrect you.” Said Choerteris.

“Hey, a lotta monsters have tried so far, and I haven’t been taken yet.” You said.

The dhampir smiled. “I expect to see some new magic when I see you again. Oh! And if you do get a wife, make sure you introduce me to the missus.”

You said goodbye to her as she left you to your own devices. Carefully scrawling out the glyph Maranth had taught you for protection, you imbued it with a jolt of magic and flopped into bed. Exhaustion consumed you and you quickly fell into a deep sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

You awoke the next morning to a loud pop and a yowl of pain. Throwing aside your sheets, your feet were tangled in the rough linens as you fell out of bed. Standing up quickly, you readied yourself to face whatever intruder had set off the ward you had placed.  
The wooden door to your room was still sizzling. Faint wisps of smoke trickled out of the cracks in the wood as the thing clung to its hinges.

Looks like you put a little too much juice into that seal…

Lifting the door bar out of place, (apparently all male dorm rooms had this feature), you used your magic to flick open the door. Nothing. Glancing down the hall, you could see a few other men peeking out of their own rooms. Farther down the corridor, loud swearing emanated from the stairs. You gagged as the sharp stench of burnt fur assailed your nostrils. Slamming the door, you placed the bar back into position and made another seal.

It was barely light out, just at the crack of dawn. The sun wasn’t more than a glow in the east at this hour. If the sun rose in the east here. If that’s where the sun rose, didn’t that make it east no matter what?

Contemplating the cosmic congruencies of this world and your own, you returned to bed to get what little sleep you could before the day began.

~~~~~~

A shrill blast from a bugle roused you again. It felt like it had only been a few minutes since you had fallen back asleep. Slipping into your clothes, you stepped out of your room and headed for the cafeteria.

The other men were huddled together in their own small bands, having already found friends. Should you try and ingratiate yourself with one of the cliques? You had tried to get to know some of the guys at Admaz, but you found their personalities to be too… strange. Most of them had been born and raised in mamono territory and their ideals and habits reflected it. Sure they had dreams and aspirations, but being a husband to a monster or monsters was always their number one priority. Every conversation you had with them was centered around the idea of finding a good wife, who that would be, potential candidates, and what you would do for them. When they learned that you hadn’t decided whom you were going to marry, not even what species you were most attracted to, they were at a loss for words.  
Maybe these guys would be different. This was an adventuring school after all. Surely some of these fine fellows would be here to learn how to kick ass.

“Did you see that succubus yesterday?”

“The one with the buckler?”

“Yeah! She gave me a look yesterday. I’m going to see if she’ll let me into her party. She looks like she can take care of a man.”

“Is she in the same party as that harpy with the washboard abs?”

“I think so, they sure seem to talk a lot.”

“Ooh, I think I’m going to have to come with you when you introduce yourself.”

They laughed and walked on ahead.

Guess some things never change…

No matter, there were still plenty of potential friends among the mamono. All you needed were a few lizard men or salamanders. Jinkos too, if you could find any. Just a small band of friendly mamono to stab people who tried to molest you and wouldn’t molest you either.  
Rounding the corner, you entered the mess hall. A wave of silence spread outwards away from the doors. You ignored their stares and quickly moved into the line for food. Conversations steadily resumed as you turned your back.

“That’s him. Kinda funny looking though…”

“Is he an albino? Why is he so pale?”

“I hear that he’s part of some long-lost tribe. They thawed him out of a glacier up north!”

“No you idiot. He’s one of the Chief God’s angels. One of the vampires sacrificed a whole town of monsters to pull him out of heaven!”

Clearly the literature you had helped Admaz write about your world had not been Mamono Times best sellers. Put some money into your marketing department Oroba…

Your tray was heaped with slop and you looked for a place to sit. This time, you had to find a seat all by yourself. Working your way through the maze of benches, you found one that was mostly populated by other guys and a few stray monsters flirting with said guys. 

Gross.

A werewolf tried to slap your ass as you passed. Her paw connected with your barrier, and she cringed in pain as you discharged a bit of static into the offending limb. Her friends snickered as she shook clenched her paw in her lap.

Taking a seat on the bench, most of the other men ignored your presence entirely. A few gawked at you unabashedly, giving you an unparalleled view of the bits of food still in their mouth. Taking a bite out of the bread lump you ate your meal as quickly as you could. No good could come of lingering in a room with this many bachelorettes. The attention would die down in a bit.

“Anon! My darling little protégé!”

You winced as Maranth’s voice boomed through the mess hall. She used her wings to jump over a few rows of benches before landing next to you.

“I see you survived the night. You’re already shattering my expectations.” She said. Reaching between her breasts, she pulled out a slim metal case and pulled one of her cigarettes out. Summoning a small jet of flame from her index finger, she torched the end of the roll and inhaled.

“Here’s your schedule.” She said blowing a cloud of smoke into your face. You coughed as she dropped a pile of papers into your lap. They slid off onto the floor.

“I’ll check up on you later today. Try not to die. Oh! That reminds me…”

Maranth stood up on the table and cleared her throat. Not that anyone was talking, all eyes were fixed on her since she entered.  
“Attention students! This human has a deadly allergy to mamono mana. If you rape him, he WILL die. That is all.”

The dark valkyrie hopped back down. “Don’t say I never did nothing for ya’.” Said Maranth, tapping some of the ash from her cigarette into what your (what you assumed to be) oatmeal.

“Hey!” you protested.

Maranth giggled. “Oh? I wouldn’t eat that if I were you. Here, let me teach you a spell I think you’ll find VERY useful. It detects poison.”

She hovered her hand over your breakfast. Dark magenta light radiated from her hand, revealing splotches of the same color in your food. It looked like a black light.

“Shit…”

A demon with an entire bandolier of knives near the door unseated herself and quickly walked out of the cafeteria.

“Like I said kid, you’re gonna have to learn fast or you won’t learn at all.” Said Maranth.

With a wave over her shoulder, the headmistress departed.

The mamono watched her go, then snapped their attention back to you.

You sifted through your schedule. Shit… Some of these words were new to you… You didn’t have any choice BUT to ask someone else for directions.

Setting your paperwork down in your lap, you realized that you were at half-mast. Arousal was a constant factor here in the demon realm, but this was worse than usual. What could have…

You looked at the ash in your oats. What was in that cigarette anyways? It wasn’t tobacco, that’s for sure. It smelled like a blend of mint and sage. Smooth, and yet…

Your dick twitched a little at the memory of the fragrant fumes. That bitch! Maybe you should get a gas mask too…

~~~~~~

The sun was now low in the sky, lazily making its way towards its zenith. You were standing on one of the numerous training grounds with about two dozen other monsters and a few guys. Though you distanced yourself from the main lump of mamono, some of the more persistent ones had followed you until you were thirty feet apart from the rest. Just take a fucking hint already!

“Eyy, you’re Anon, yeah?” asked a muscular succubus.

You ignored her.

“Aww, don’t be shy~ We’re in the same class so it makes sense for us to be friends.”

She used her tail to flick a pebble at you and laughed as it bounced off your barrier.

“That’s so funny! You really do have that up all the time huh?~”

She stepped a bit closer. Slowly reaching out, she placed her hand against the translucent wall of magic. You funneled a little more energy into it, heating it up underneath her hand.

“Ooh~ How robust!” said the succubus, rapping against it with her knuckles. “But I wonder if it can handle ‘sustained punishment’~” she whispered. She humped at the ward to accentuate her point. Eww…

“Alright you degenerates, that’s enough talking. Line up!”

A minotaur swaggered out in front of the horde of mamono and cast a glare over the tepid faces of the students.

“I said LINE UP!”

The monsters scrambled to get into line. You were jostled back and forth as monsters fought for a place next to you in line. Now standing shoulder to shoulder, you awaited further instruction from the mino.

“My name is Gelvie, and I have the displeasure of being your instructor.” She began. “This Academy is known for producing the HIGHEST quality adventurers who have ever walked the planet. Hundreds of legendary wanderers can attest that it was this institution that gave them the training to accomplish their incredible feats. Even now, the elite walk these halls…”

She abruptly turned to an amazon.

“AND YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THEM.”

Taking a few steps back, she turned to address the class as a whole.

“If you are standing in this line, it is because you preformed SO FUCKING POORLY on your exams that you are now part of the LOWEST echelon of monsters in this ENTIRE ACADEMY. You are too stupid, too weak, or too incompetent to even be called terrible. I CANNOT stress how PATHETIC it is to be standing where you are now.”

She slowly began to walk up and down the line again. Oh no, should you look at her? In the army movies, you weren’t supposed to look at the sergeant. Was this the same deal?

You held your breath and kept your eyes straight ahead as the massive cow-woman passed by you. You only came up to the bottom of her breasts.

She leered down at you and kept walking.

“I can say with absolute confidence that none of you will EVER amount to anything more than average. My advice for you would be to go find a job; the chances of you even being good enough to adventure as an occupation are ZERO.”

Holy shit. She really wasn’t pulling any punches.

“BUT, if you insist on throwing away your time and money in a futile attempt to better yourself, you are more than welcome. I get paid either way.” Sneered the minotaur. “A question for you all, what’s the most important thing an adventurer can have?”

The line was silent.

“I ASKED YOU DROOLING TROGLODYTES A QUESTION!” shouted Gelvie.

“Skill!”

Gelvie turned around and powerwalked over to the trembling bunyip who had dared to speak.

“Skill? You think skill is the MOST IMPORTANT THING you can have as an adventurer?!” asked the mino. “HOW WOULD YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT SKILL LOOKED LIKE?!”

A chill ran down your spine as you heard a small sniffle. The poor ‘yip was in for it now…

“Are you crying?” asked Gelvie incredulously. “Are yo-… Did you seriously register at an ADVENTURING ACADEMY, and start CRYING on MY FIELD?!” 

The bunyip let out a low groan as she started to cough and hiccup.

“Unbelievable. You don’t even deserve to be here. Tell you what, if you can get to that post…” Gelvie pointed to a wooden post on another training ground in the distance. “… and come back before I lose any more of my patience, I won’t kick you out. Deal?”  
The bunyip yelped and fell forwards as Gelvie gave her a slap on the back.

“Go! Crawl! Slither! Whatever it is you freaks do!”

As the fluff-snake slithered off towards the pole as fast as she could, leaving the rest of you to the mercy of your cow-coach.

“No, it is not ‘skill’ that limits you, it’s technique.” Asserted Gelvie.

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

Gelvie marched over to the black harpy who dared open her mouth and seized the avian woman by her throat. The poor harpy squawked as she was forced into a headlock, her face swallowed up by the crook of Gelvie’s arm.

“See, if she knew a TECHNIQUE to escape a chokehold, she would understand what she needs to do to get free. Not that she could get free even if she did, because she hasn’t cultivated the SKILL to use that technique.” Explained Gelvie. The harpy’s black talons thrashed the air, desperate for leverage to free herself. The harpy was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. Dirt caked her tear stained face as she tried to regain her breath.

“You will learn techniques here, and you will practice those techniques until your hands, wings, tentacles, or other grasping appendages bleed. In time, these abilities will become a reflex; you will not be able to forget them even in the heat of battle.” Said Gelvie.

She stopped at the center of the line and looked over all the other students. The bunyip was making her return, wheezing and gasping as she sprinted (or whatever the equivalent of snake sprinting was) back towards the line.

“You’ll also be learning the MENTAL praxes of adventuring too; brute strength alone is not sufficient for survival.” Said Gelvie looking at you.

Noted…

“But that isn’t my job. You’ll be meeting with Raigill for that portion of your training. For now, we’re going to get these sorry bodies into shape!”

Gelvie took a sprinter’s stance and looked back at the rest of you.

“We’re going to sprint to that post and back. Anyone who doesn’t beat me will have hell to pay.”

Without any countdown, the massive woman surged forwards. The other mamono in line scrambled after her. You were left in the dust, both literally and figuratively, as the hooves, claws, and feet of your much faster classmates stampeded on ahead. Hurdling over the bunyip, who has almost been trampled by the mob, you did your best to keep up with someone with legs two feet longer than your own.

~~~~~~~

You had experienced a lot of unpleasant sensations since you had arrived in this world. Mana poisoning, attempted curses, starvation, depleting all your mana and going into a coma…

And none of it compared to the searing physical pain you were experiencing now. Except maybe that time a dark elf claiming to be your “biggest fan” got past your escort in Admaz one day and kicked you in the balls saying it was a “part of her culture”. The pain flowing through every muscle of your body right now was proof that Jesus and His mercy had been left behind when you were portal’ed here.  
The only reason you were able to lurch your way to the mess hall was by forming crutches with your magic. Shaping two long wards, you were able to use them like ski poles to support your weight. It did have the unfortunate side effect of making you look like a lunatic. Monsters gave you a wide berth as you hiked your way through the hall on semi-transparent poles, whimpering as you went.

Entering the cafeteria, you crept through the line using your magic to support your tray. Once it was full, you abandoned all hope of finding an isolated seat and plopped down in the first available spot you could find. Death be damned; if you were raped into the grave here and now it would be a welcome reprieve from the fire in your veins.

Clearly the ‘curriculum’ of the school was not geared towards humans. The lowest weight they had was about twenty-eight pounds, if you were converting their units of weight correctly. It would be almost impossible for you to get a passing grade when the criteria was beyond what an Olympian could ever hope to achieve. Gelvie had no sympathy for you; if you were going to be in a class of monsters, you were going to be graded like a monster.

On one hand, you appreciated the respect she was giving you. Even if it was out of spite, she wasn’t treating you like just a dick to ride.

On the other hand, fuck her. That fucking sucked!

“He’s right here! What do I do?!” hissed the werebat next to you.

“Punch him! Assert dominance!” said the ogre sitting next to her. She made no attempt to lower her voice.

The bat woman flushed with embarrassment, hushing the giant and begging her to be quiet.

“I’m going to assert dominance, but you’re not supposed to punch ‘em! You just hold them down and rape them.”

You were so intent on listening to their conversation that you didn’t notice a mouse-girl’s hand creeping towards your thigh. Too distracted by the antics of the much more conspicuous threats on one side, your barrier had faltered on the other. Your knee hit the table as you blenched at her touch.

The rodent woman gave you a cheeky grin, displaying her slight buckteeth.

“Hah! No need to worry about me big guy, just keep eating. I’m just going to help myself to some of yo-“

“Over my dead body!”

An ocelomeh stood up two benches away. Did she hear what the mouse said from that far away in a crowded cafeteria? How the hell did you ever escape the jungle…

“That mana is mine, runt. I’LL be the one to put the human in his place.” Said the ocelomeh, sneering at the rat girl.

“You? Hah!”

Heads turned to an oni, who didn’t bother standing up. “He’s not ripe yet, you heard the boss. But when he IS ready, he’s MINE. And I don’t take kindly to people threatening my property.”

She emphasized her point by chomping through a bone.

“He doesn’t need you islander; he needs someone to keep him safe. Like ME.” snarled a hellhound.

You shoveled the rest of your food into your mouth as fast as you could while the mamono were busy boasting and monologuing. There was a brawl a brewin’ and you weren’t about to be in the middle of a fight when the fists started flying. Adrenaline allowed your limbs to regain a bit of function as you hobbled away.

“Hey! He’s leaving!”

You looked back at a demon who was pointing at you. For a split second, you froze in horror. Would the girls choose to secure you before slugging it out?

An ogre next to the demon leveled the poor girl with a nasty sucker punch. The room erupted into a chorus of cheers and boos as pairs of mamono squared up and began tearing into each other. Using your magic to shove away all the monsters that were trying to carry you away, you skittered off to the classroom.

~~~~~~

Ahh… Book work. This was more your speed. Learning about this new world always proved to be exciting and interesting no matter the subject.

“Alright, this is where you’ll be getting the important half of your training.” Said the dark mage professor. “My name is Raigill. Any questions?”

Silence.

“Good. Now then, these are your textbooks, pass them back.” Said Raigill, dumping a stack of ancient books onto her desk.

You handed book after book to the mamono behind you, ignoring the attempts of the succubus behind you to touch your hand every time you handed her a new book. At last, you collected your book. A yellowed and ancient tome, replete with knowledge. Flipping the book open, you could see extensive notes in the margins of each water-damaged page. Who knows how many generations of students had used this very book?

“Try not to be too rough on them, they’re last years addition and I’d like to use them for the next year too.” Said Raigill.

Oh.

“And I see we have a special guest with us…”

You looked up from the book. Raigill was eyeing you with an aloofly.

“The rest of these churls may not know what you are, but your summoning caused quite the stir amongst the scholars.” Said the dark mage.

You stared at her from behind the mountain of a chimera in front of you. Her phrasing and attitude made it unclear what the tone of the statement was.

“I am curious, what would you say your level of education is?” asked Raigill.

“Uh… Low…” you said. It hurt to say, but it was true. By now you could read most of the common day to day words you came across on signs and sentences, but the rigorous tutelage at Tomb Haven proved that you were still nescient. A textbook full of names and places would be almost illegible.

Some of the monsters in the class snickered. Raigill herself looked slightly amused.

“Oh? How much can you write?”

“I can get by most of the time.” You said confidently.

Raigill scribbled something out on the board. The only thing you recognized was ‘going,’ but you couldn’t tell what tense it was in.

“Can you read this?”

You mulled it over for a few seconds before glowering at her. “No.”

This time your classmates made no attempt to hide their laughter.

“Eros above, how did he even figure out how to open the door to the classroom?!” 

“I’ve met mamono who’ve lived in caves that can read better than he can.”

“Maybe he isn’t worth taking after all.”

You grit your teeth and silently endured the jeers of your peers. A loud pop directed everyone’s attention back to the board.

“Pipe down you lunks, you can’t read his language either. Now Anon, I see you have some interesting accessories there…” said Raigill.

You reflexively touched the inhibitor rings on each of your hands. She was more interested in your pendant.  
“That’s an amulet of articulation, no? How long have you been wearing that?”

“A long time.” You admitted.

Raigill’s reticent face turned just the slightest bit red.

“I’ve heard that your language is quite… interesting to hear spoken. Perhaps you could give us a demonstration?”

“Oh, no, that’s alright. I don’t want to delay the lesson any longer. Maybe some other time.” You said.

“No, no! It’s more than alright. Learning other languages is an important skill to have for ruins exploring.” Said Raigill.

“I’d really rather not.” You said flatly. Truth be told, you were sick of mamono asking to hear you speak in English. It was fun at first in Admaz, but having to take the amulet off and talk so that some succubi could giggle became tedious after the hundredth time. And there were also some monsters who had become creepily obsessed with your language. They thought it was cute or something.

“I could converse with you, if that would make it easier.” offered Raigill.

Your classmates gasped. 

“You can speak his language?”

Raigill puffed out her chest a bit. “Oh, enough to get by. I’m also literate in {Ehgish} as well.” She sniffed.

Oh no.

“I want to hear what he sounds like too.”

“Has anyone ever heard him say stuff in his own language?”

“Yeah! I heard him talk when we were exercising! It’s a bunch of grunts and wheezes.”

“That was just him dying, you idiot.”

Raigill wrote out a sentence under the Common symbols she had written earlier.

I wented to class this Day.

Not bad, actually. Better than most of the ‘English’ you had seen mamono write. She must have practiced a lot to get this far without any instruction.

“See? Just like back home. So, take off the amulet and we’ll just say a few sentences to demonstrate the importance of language.” Said Raigill.

“First of all, that ISN’T ‘just like back home’, and secondly: NO.” you said.

“What?! I’ve studied your language extensively! Stop trying to nitpick and take off the amulet!” insisted Raigill.

“Just teach the class already!” you retorted.

Raigill’s eye twitched. With a flick of her wrist, she used her magic to wrenched the amulet off your neck. What ever spell she was using, it was able to penetrate your barrier with ease.

“Hey!” you shouted, grasping at the amulet as it flew into her palm.

{Hah! What was that?}

{HeEeY}

{No, no, it was more like HeIy}

A chorus of mocking ‘heys broke out. The only thing you could do was sit there in silence. Don’t give them any more ammunition…

“Tsair! Noh, lez juus sahee a fu warhs foh da culass.” Said Raigill.

{Woah…}

{Is that what his language sounds like?}

{I don’t know. Hey!} Anon, {say something!}

{Yeah, say something!}

{Pshh, typical man. Too afraid to even talk.}

You snapped. “GIMME THE FUCKING AMULET YOU CUNT!”

Raigill’s eyes widened. The rest of the class, ignorant of the meaning of any of the words you just uttered, cheered at your compliance.

{Gima fugkamult yug cunt!}

{Fuchshik apulant cunt!}

{Cunt!}

{Cunt! Cunt! Cunt!}

The rest of your scholarly peers began to chant and stomp their feet as they bellowed the obscenity. A blood vessel pulsed in Raigill’s forehead.

“Thaz vehry eempolayt, Anon.” she said coldly.

Shit. You couldn’t just piss off your professor on the first day of class like this…

“I’m sorry, professor. I just find the reactions my language elicits from these uncouth philistines to be vexing.” You said slowly.

{What a funny language.}

{Why does it go up and down so much?}

{Hey, teach, what’d he say this time?}

Raigill grit her teeth and smiled. {Err… he said… It was an apology! Yes. He also commended my mastery of his language.} said Raigill.  
Looks like you had nicked her pride by using words that weren’t published in many of the pamphlets the scholars of Admaz created.

{Well I like cunt.}

{Yeah, that has a good ring to it.}

{Just feels right sayin’ it.}

Raigill tossed the amulet back to you. {Just make sure y}ou learn Common soon, Anon.”

You grumbled out an agreement.

“Now then, before we get into the more technical aspects of adventuring, we first have to understand the history behind the tombs, crypts, dungeons, and ruins that are explored today…”

Raigill began to lecture about the various civilizations that preceded modern mamono society. You had hardly put quill to paper before a crumpled ball of paper bounced off your ward and landed on the floor beside you. Gritting your teeth, you ignored the provocation and continued to write down what Raigill was saying.

Another was of paper bounced against your barrier. And another. Finally, an impressive lob shot landed flat on your desk. There was a hiss of joy and a few muffled congratulations from the monsters behind you.

Unfurling the crumpled paper (which you quickly realized was a page of textbook) you read the note.

“Anon, the girls and I {made a bet} to see who would get to be first”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the note meant. In fact, you had received notes like this in the past. You folded up the paper and set it aside. Looking back to see who threw that would be suicide.

“He read it!” whispered someone near the back of the room.

An intense argument broke out, both sides angrily murmuring to each other. More voices chimed in as the rabble got progressively louder. Raigill paused her lesson. Setting her book down, she flicked her wrist and launched a small sphere of magic over your head. There was a sharp yelp of pain and the clattering of chairs as your peers righted themselves in their seats.

“…Later, in the second dynasty, the very same invaders would be turned away by…”

Raigill droned on about history. You weren’t listening now. Right now, you were racking your brain trying to guess which monster threw this note at you. All the notes, actually. Sure, every girl in this room posed a threat to you, but some were certainly worse than others. Who was in your class anyways?

Manticore, bunyip, black harpy, amazon, succubus, chimera, ocelomeh, dark elf…

The more you thought about it the worse the situation seemed. Every species in this room was the type to take tears and begging as encouragement to keep going. Maybe not the succs or the demons… Could you get them to protect you if you gave them puppy eyes? The encyclopedia said that they were the kind of mamono that doted on humans out of pity.

You snuck a glance at the demon sitting diagonally from you. She looked like some sort of rouge type; tight leather armor that left her midriff exposed and a belt full of pouches and knives. Unlike the other yahoos you were stuck with, she was diligently taking notes as Raigill lectured. What a good girl! But wasn't she the one who tried to poison you? Demons all seemed to have the same aesthetic.

The demon leaned back in her chair pensively, giving you a better view of her paper. At the top, in very ornate and elegant script was your name and what you surmised to be her name joined by a heart connecting the last character of your name and the first of hers. Her eyes lit with inspiration and she began to furiously scrawl out more clauses to her contract.

Maybe not demons…

Succubi?

You thought about the one that had dry-humped your barrier earlier while implying she planned on riding you into unconsciousness. Not her obviously, but you may be able to get some other succubi involved. The main issue would be convincing them to protect you with no incentive. ‘Hey, could you protect me from those giant scary monsters? I can’t pay you anything. Thanks.’ Yeah… That didn’t sound like it would attract to many loyal souls to your cause. Unless…

Unless you COULD give them some form of compensation.

Your eyes drifted to a chubby cleric lad in the front row. A lamia was already teasing his lower back with the tip of her tail.

If the problem with succubi was their desire to get laid, then all you had to do was satiate them first. Feed the lions before they eat you, then snuggle up with the pride to avoid being eaten.

Heads turned towards you with perplexed and fretful looks, and you realized that you had let out an unconscious maniacal laugh. Un-wringing your hands, you cleared your throat and did your best to catch up with what Raigill was saying.

Oh yes, you would survive your time at Valisias Academy. No, you would THRIVE. It was time to show these meat-heads that you were more than just their equal. But for now, all you had to do was be patient.

~~~~~~

Raigill tossed the door shut behind her as she arrived home.

“Hi honey!”

Her husband appeared from the living room to greet her. She permitted him to kiss her forehead as she put her staff in its holder.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine.” Said Raigill wearily.

“Did you get to meet that human you were talking about?”

The mage gave a scornful tut. “Yeah…”

“And?”

She frowned. “You know how they say ‘never meet your heroes’?”

“That bad, huh?”

Raigill groaned and sat down on the couch. “He was just so rude! I don’t understand it! After all that time and effort I spent learning his language, he just humiliates me in front of my students!”

Her husband wrapped his arms around her shoulders and began to rock her. “Are you sure he wasn’t just nervous?”

“Hmph.”

“And are you sure you didn’t come on too strong? I know you were passionate about this, but he might be a bit embarrassed to speak a different language around all these monsters.”

Raigill squirmed a little as she remembered the raucous jeers of the mamono after Anon spoke.

“Give him some time. I’m sure he’ll open up if you’re fair. He may even be willing to answer some questions for you.” Said her husband.

“Mmm…”

Raigill rested her head on his shoulder. His shirt smelt of herbs.

“Have you been cooking?” she asked.

“Mmhmm. I made you something special since it’s a special day for you. Or, it was…”

She hugged him. “It’s special now.”

Adjusting their bodies so that they could lie down, they waited for their meal to cook.


	33. Chapter 33

Your eyes cracked open slowly. The room was silent. Keeping perfectly still, you waited

Slowly, the dull rasp that had roused you began again.

Though you hadn’t been at Valisias for more than a week, mamono night raids had already become a constant annoyance. Not even a threat, just meddlesome attempts to snag you in your sleep.

What were they up to this time?

It was hard to tell where the sound was originating. With your head on the pillow, the noise seemed to be coming from all around you.

Clunk.

Sounds like they whiffed with a tool. A chorus of hisses and hushed expletives rose from the window. 

Ahh. Well, at least they were original. It also meant you wouldn’t have to reapply the door seal.

The monsters sat in silence as they waited for some sign that you were still asleep. You COULD just shoo them away, but that would just encourage them to try again later. Best just to deal with this now. Many monsters had tried to infiltrate your bed, but as far as you could tell, there weren’t any repeat offenders.

The rasping began again and you tried to guess what they were up to. Working with a tool, at the window, no shattered glass… Probably trying to cut their way through the metal grating outside the actual panes. The rhythm of sawing hastened, and a small yip of elation signaled that you were about to find out.

Something clattered up against the glass of your window.

An ear-splitting noise shook away your last vestige of fatigue. They were using a glass-cutter. An argument broke out between the hushed voices behind your curtain.

“What are you doing?!”

“I’m using this thing, what do you want from me?!”

“It’s supposed to be QUIET.”

“Both of you shut up he’s going to hear us!”

“He probably has, give me that thing!”

The cry of the glass-cutter resumed. This time the monster using it made no attempt at stealth. Your cue to end this.

You shuffled out of bed, covering your ears to dampen the din. A circle of glass popped loose from the window and shattered at your feet. Yanking back the curtains, you found yourself face to face with a dark elf. 

Planning was clearly not the forte of ANY of the monsters here. The hole they had cut through the bars and glass was only big enough for the dark elf’s head and one of her arms to fit through. Unless she was a contortionist (which was possible given that she was a dark elf) she wasn't coming in. And it would be impossible for the succubus behind her; not with those hips.

“Is he up?”

Looking past the other two, you could see a griffin holding the ladder. How the hell was she supposed to get in?! Poor girl…

Seeing your face in the window, the griffon gave a small squawk of panic and flew away.

The dark elf shook off her surprise. Using her arm that had made it through the window, she desperately tired to stab you. You took a step back to avoid the knife.

“Shit! Hand me my whip!”

The succubus detached the whip from her friend’s belt, and stuffed the coil of leather through the slot. Dropping the knife, the dark elf tried to use the whip's superior range to take you down. To your amusement, the whip was actually MORE useless than the knife. The elf’s body was too twisted to get a proper range of motion, and the wall prevented the whip from being thrown back. All she could do was send waves through the weapon as it flopped on your floor. Panting, the elf gave you a pleading smile.

“H-hi, Anon.”

“Mmm.” You grunted.

“This, uh… I know it looks bad, but it isn’t what it looks like!” said the dark elf. She dropped the whip and put her hands up disarmingly. One outside, and one inside.

“Mmm.”

“We weren’t going to hurt you, honest!” said the succubus.

“No! Never! We just wanted to… get to know you better! Since you must be lonely here!” said the dark elf.

“Exactly! If you’re still single after all this time, you must be dying for some company!” Said the succubus.

“And you planned to do that by carving through my window in the middle of the night.” You said.

The elf gulped. “Ah, you know, we had to make ourselves stand out! I’ve seen how many women come up to you during the day, so we thought ‘he’ll remember us if we make an impression’ you know?”

“Speaking of ‘we’, what happened to {Curly}?” you asked.

“Who? Oh! The griffon? Her name isn’t {Cuhly}, its Nef. I think. We called her Nef.” Said the dark elf.

“She probably just went to the bathroom.” offered the succubus.

You yawned. It was too early for this. Or late. Who knows what time it was?

“Well, I can see you’re tired so we’ll just excuse oursel- HAHH!”

The dark elf interrupted her apology to flick a bolt of magic at you. Too bad, bitch. She wasn’t the first to try the ol’ “sucker punch a guy with a charm spell” trick. She let out a despondent mewl as the magic washed harmlessly over your body.

Scrambling, the elf tried to shimmy her way back through the hole. The succubus tried to fly away, but you caught her leg in a magical vice. Stuffing the elf through the hole, you held both of them in the air.

“Please don’t drop me! I was just horny! It’s not my fault; I was born this way!” sobbed the succ.

“Fucking human! I’ll fucking drain every last wisp of mana from you! You think you’re hot shit?! You’re a male! The only thing you should be doing at this Academy is polishing my boots with your mongrel tongue!”

The dark elf gnashed her teeth and tried to fire off more spells. You lowered her a bit before letting her drop the remaining seven feet into the dirt.

“I’LL CRUSH YOUR HEAD BETWEEN MY THIGHS, ANON! JUST YOU WAIT!”

Limping as fast as she could, the dark elf retreated to her own dorm room.

You flipped the succubus right side up and brought her a bit closer to the window.

“Please don’t hurt me…” she whimpered.

“I’m not. I actually need your help with something.” You said.

“Help…?”

~~~~~~~

“So you’re saying that if we all help you keep your dick from being ground to a stump, you’ll hook us up with some of the guys?”

You were sandwiched between two massive succs, with a few more on either side and across from you. These were the ones that Decara (whose name you learned after interrogating her) had deemed trustworthy and disciplined enough to listen to your scheme without trying to molest you.

“Right. Nothing serious, I can handle most of these monsters myself. But if my magic stops working or someone figures out a way to ambush me when I’m vulnerable, I’m going to need some assistance.” You said.

Some of the succs looked at the other members of their group. Most looked skeptical of your proposal.

“And what’s to stop us from just taking you for ourselves?” asked a mage.

“I’ll die, for starters. And I’d toss at least half of you through a wall.” You said.

“Would you REALLY die? That sounds like an excuse to me…” said another.

“I would! Now are you in or out?” you said slamming your hand onto the table.

A few of the succubi scoffed and left the table. The remainder didn’t look to thrilled with your proposal either.

“Sounds like a lot of work for no payoff. How do we know you’ll uphold your end of the bargain?”

“Yeah, we need some sort of proof you can provide.”

“Fine.” You huffed. “What do you want?”

The succs whispered amongst themselves for a few seconds.

“We want Brez.” They concluded.

“What?”

“Not what, who.”

One of the succubi squeezed in next to you and pointed at a young man across the dining hall. He stood out from the other men, a bit more vocal and easygoing than most of the other diminutive male students.

“Deal. But once he’s yours, I expect you to follow through when I need you.” You said.

“Fine. So… How are you going to get him to us?” she asked tentatively.

“Just swing by the men’s dorm tonight. I’ll let you in.” you said.

The horde of succubi began to disperse and you finished your meal quickly. Other monsters watched you go, uneasy of your shady dealings with the succubi. If this plan didn’t work, your interactions with the succubi would only fan the flames of jealousy. You caught sight of the dark elf who had tried to break in last night. She glared at you. Turning to the ocelomeh next to her, she began to say something while whispering to the cat-woman. The leopard’s eyes widened and she bared her teeth at you. An amazon on the other side of the dark elf nearly spat out her drink eavesdropping on the other two. 

That wasn’t a good sign…

Hurrying out of the lunchroom, you began to wonder if you would have to expand this coalition of yours beyond just the succubi.

~~~~~~

No army of mamono wanting to hatefuck you could make this a bad day. Because today was magic day. The day where you would finally be able to learn how to blow things up with your brain. More efficiently.

While the rest of your class headed off to keep working with Gelvie, you and a few other magically talented men and mamono trudged off to a different training ground. Thank God for the break; your body couldn’t handle a full week of intense training intended for athletic monsters.

A small woman waved you over to the rest of the mamono. A dark priest by the look of it. And she was cute! Though your perception of cute may have been altered by spending so much time around the muscles and massive frames of the other students.

The young woman took your hands into hers and vigorously shook them up and down. “You must be Anon! Welcome! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!” she said.

Her hands began to squeeze your wrists, gently using her index finger to trace patterns on the back of your hands. You smiled politely and tried to pull away but she clamped down even tighter.

“I’ve heard that you refuse to find a partner, even though you’ve been cleared by the doctors! Why, Anon? Don’t you know that willing abstinence is a sin?” asked the priest. Her eyes were full of pity and tears.

“I’m just here to learn magic, ma’am.” You stammered.

The dark priest quickly released your hands and smoothed out her frock. “Goodness! You’re right; I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Zara. I’ll be instructing you in the ways of adventuring magics.” She said with a small curtsey.

“Are we going to learn combat magic?” asked a salamander.

“Of course! Knowing how to defend yourself against magical and physical threats is an integral part of any mage’s repertoire.” Said Zara.

“But will we learn OFFENSIVE magic?” asked a hornet.

“You will, but not for some time. Offensive magic is more of a niche discipline; only mamono who are going into human territories will be using it on a regular basis. For that reason, Valisias Academy prioritizes utility and defense magics.” Said Zara.

“But we WILL learn offensive spells eventually, right? For instance, how to break a ward?” asked an amazon.

“Err, yes, if you plan on moving into the slaver or military disciplines.” Said Zara.

A chorus of appreciation rumbled out of the crowd. Mayhaps t’would be wise to leave before these unsavory specimens learned how to crack your shield like an egg. A hobgoblin had already tried to stab through it with an experimentally enchanted knife. Not that it worked or anything, but like they said: it’s the thought that counts.

“Slaver, yeah… That sounds like the job for me.”

“I hear you get a better pick when you’re in the military; more men to go around.”

“Bah! Slavers have a more flexible schedule! And less risk too.”

“Now now,” said Zara, trying to regain control of the class. “You’ll have plenty of time to discuss your career paths later. For now, let me divide you into groups based on your magical aptitude.”

Pulling out a list from the sleeve of her frock, Zara sorted your classmates into groups of four. You were in a group with a chimera, a demon, and a dullahan. You recognized the chimera and demon from your other class. The dullahan was new. Or you didn’t notice her. Easy to miss normal sized mamono when the average height around here was 6’6”.

“My name is Ceith, I look forward to testing myself against you.” Said the dullahan.

How polite! You could tell she had a good head on her shoulders. In her arms. Wherever it was. Having a monster that didn’t immediately start staring at your crotch was a welcome change of pace.

“My name is Demoto… REMEMBER THAT, MEAT!”

You stumbled back, raising your shield toward the chimera as her face suddenly contorted into a sneer. The hybrid laughed and slapped your barrier with her clawed hand.

“Easy there, meat! Ma just said I have-“ her face relaxed and she took a small breath to collect herself “-a bit of amazon blood in me. It tends to ‘manifest’ when I get too excited.”

“Uhh… No problem… I’m Anon by the way.” Probably unnecessary, but it felt right to introduce yourself anyways.

“Oh Anon, I’m just so EXCITED to start working with you~” said the demon. “Finally, a man who can do more than just seal a paper-cut! Speaking of paper, how about we all sign this special training agreement that says we’ll all do our best every day?”

The blue-skinned beauty held out the contract for you with an inked quill and a nervous smile.

You waved the parchment away. “I think that we can all just VERBALLY agreed to try our hardest, miss…”

The paper in the demon’s hand crumpled a little as she realized she hadn’t introduced herself yet. “Oh! My name! Yes, my name is Voso! Pleased to meet you.”

“Well, that’s that then. I take it you’re all fairly skilled with magic?” you asked.

“Relatively.” Said Ceith.

“I could use some practice, truth be told.” Said Demoto.

“I think we all could. Looks like that group over there is the one with the best casters.” Said Voso pointing to another group.  
The group she pointed at was comprised of a raiju, an ignis, a cheshire, and a plain looking woman whose race you couldn’t make out.  
“Who’s the human-looking one? She doesn’t look like any mamono I’ve seen…” you asked Ceith.

“Mermaid. Transformed herself to walk around on land. Powerful too from what I hear. The fact that she can keep herself in that form and have enough mana to practice magic at the same time is a testament to that.”

The ignis noticed you were looking her way and wove a heart out of her fire. With a wink, she blew the blazing shape your way.

Probably best to avoid those four as much as possible.

“Are you worried?”

“Hardly. I can handle myself.” You said.

“Are you sure?~”

A hand squeezed your shoulder and you whipped around to face your molester. One of the cheshire’s paws and her disembodied mouth retreated through a small tear in reality. The rest of the cat woman laughed with the other members of her group. Your group mates stared at the spot where the body parts had been.

“Don’t let them get to you; just ignore them.” You muttered. “What are you three good at? Any special skills?”

Ideally ones that could complement your own talents. You were already planning to get the succubi under your thumb, but a little extra muscle couldn’t hurt. Ceith would be hard to sway, but Voso and Demoto seemed like the type of girl who would tear any potential rapist apart in a jealous rage. That being said, they were equal if not better than you in terms of magical skill. Decisions decisions…

“I’m skilled in many magical disciplines.” Said Ceith. “Mostly defensive magic and scrying; mamma made sure I learned those first.”

“I pack a wicked punch! But I’d never use it on you, Anon.” said Demoto, flattening her ears. So she had a diminutive side too…

“I have quite a bit of practice with scrying, trap detection, and utility spells. Soon I’ll be able to teleport short distances.” Said Voso.

Not bad, all things considered. Seems like your group had a good balance of skill.

Before you could ask them any more questions, Zara called for the class to reconvene.

“I hope you introduced yourselves well, you’ll be working with each other for the duration of the class. We’re now going to start by practicing our physical wards. Being able to protect yourself from projectiles is the most important defensive skill you can have. Not every dungeon or human will pose a magical threat, but ALL of them will have the capacity to inflict bodily harm if you aren’t careful. Does everyone know how to create a barrier?”

The class silently nodded.

“Wonderful! In your groups, divide into pairs and take turns parrying your partner’s attacks with these practice swords.” Said Zara.

The swords on the rack were dull and chipped. In some spots, magenta rust sat like a scab on the weathered blade. Was demon tetanus a thing? Mamono hurried over to grab the best swords before they disappeared. You patiently waited for the larger women to take their pick before moving in to grab your own sword. Small, but plenty big for a few practice swings.

“Is that the one you chose? I’ll pair up with you then.”

Voso appeared behind you. Her amethyst eyes looked over the weapon you had chosen. You offered it to her and she gave it a few experimental swings.

“Not too long, but it’s got good balance. You have a pretty good taste in weapons.” Said Voso. You could tell she wasn’t just flattering you either; she really did appreciate the blade. Made sense, she was a rouge-ish type after all.

“Who says YOU get to practice with the meat, hell spawn?” growled Demoto.

“Demoto, please. I doubt Anon could even swing that thing.” Said Ceith, pointing to the claymore the chimera was holding.

“Bah! If he wasn’t so weak he could. And besides, he looks strong enough to me~”

Maybe there was something you could feed her to stymie these mood swings… You could get monsters to eat ANYTHING as long as you passed it off as “authentic human dimension cooking”.

“How about you practice with him next time?” offered Ceith.

“Acceptable! But I don’t like it.” Said Demoto.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance. We shouldn’t be fighting on the first day.” Said Voso. It was easy to tell how pleased she was; her tail wagged in little circles as she squared up with you.

“Ready?” she asked.

“Ready.” You said.

Voso began thrusting and slashing at you while you blocked the attacks. Demoto let out a snarl and began to whale on Ceith’s shield with a claymore. Each swing ricocheted off with a loud crackle. You hoped that when it was Demoto’s turn to be your partner that the training exercise would be one that didn’t risk you being cut down with a giant sword.

Zara walked the field, inspecting everyone’s magic and giving advice on what to improve. Eventually she meandered over to your group. Voso nearly tagged your thigh with a lunging thrust as your attention faltered. 

Zara frowned and trotted around you in a semicircle as the barrage of blows continued. Finally she signaled for Voso to stop.

“Anon, how have you not been raped yet?”

“Huh?”

Her question baffled you. What was that supposed to mean? Were you missing something? Did you let your guard down?

“That has to be one of the most inefficient wards I’ve ever seen.” Said Zara. “Are you keeping it up the whole time?”

“Of course. I don’t know where she’s going to strike next.” You said.

Zara gave you a contemptuous stare. “If you don’t want to drain your mana reserves blocking, you’re going to have to learn to expend less energy blocking. The only reason you’ve been able to survive so far is brute strength. It’s a miracle no one has torn this thing open yet.”

The dark priest emphasized her point by coating her hand in magic and thrusting it at you. Your shield caved inward as she gently tapped you in the stomach.

“Oh, how interesting! What spell is that?” asked Voso.

Zara ignored her. “And why are you using a WALL of energy? Honestly Anon, I know you aren’t too familiar with magic, but please try and use some common sense. A mesh barrier is more energy efficient and easier to manipulate.”

Zara waved her hands and a glowing lattice spread out in front of her.

You concentrated on the shape and summoned your own chain-link fence of energy.

“I feel kind of… exposed.” You said. An archer could easily slot you through this thing. Or anyone with a knife.

“Make the gaps smaller.” Said Zara. “This type of barrier is best for melee attacks. If your enemy is using archery or spells, a full shield is proper practice.”

Channeling more energy into the spell, you shrunk the holes in your barrier.

“Better. Voso, take a few swings at him.”

The demon began to strike you again, this time with more gusto. One of her thrusts caught the mesh at a bad angle and she managed to force it through. The tip of the sword clipped your thigh sending a wave of heat through your body. Zara held up a hand to stop Voso.

“Are you alright?” asked Zara.

“Yeah…” you said.

Sure you were uninjured, but you were now painfully erect. The cut on your leg was also starting to leak mana; that shimmering heat haze like gas from a stove flickered in the wind as energy left your body. Other groups slowed and stopped their own training to witness the spectacle. Voso quickly sucked off the trace amount of mana from the practice sword and shuddered with glee. A few canine monsters began to sniff the air. Probably time to leave…

“I think I should go get this patched up.” You said.

“Hmm…”

Zara eyed the nick on your thigh and mulled it over. “That cut isn’t deep. It’ll heal in no time. Why don’t you just help Voso with her barrier instead. If you’re about to pass out, I’ll send someone to carry you to the infirmary.

The bigger mamono perked up at the word carry. One of the amazons unconsciously flexed her biceps.

“I can carry him!” blurted Voso.

“He doesn’t need to be carried yet. You’ll all take a few scrapes here; it wouldn’t be Valisias Academy if you didn’t pass out at least once during your training.” Said Zara.

“I’m fine, really.” You said. Can’t show weakness here. Falling asleep in your room was already dangerous enough. Falling asleep in the open was a death sentence. “Come on, Voso. Why don’t you put up your barrier and practice what she taught us?”

Voso gave you a concerned look but handed you the sword. Raising her own purple energy net, you took a few practice swings.

“Oh wow.”

Some of the other mamono were snickering at your risible display of swordsmanship.

“Look at how he holds it!”

“Disgraceful.”

“He’s like a child…”

“Anon, where did you learn to use a sword?” asked Voso. She was trying hard (and failing) not to giggle.

“I’ve never used one of these before. People in my world were on to bigger and better things.” You said softly.

“So no one in your world knew how to cut things?” asked Voso incredulously.

“Of course they did! We still used knives. But warfare wasn’t about smacking each other with sharp pieces of metal.”

“You’re going to have a hell of a time learning swordsmanship here. Rumor has it that the teachers are awfully strict when it comes to that sort of thing.”

“Great…”

Both Oroba and Petropa had forbid you from learning swordsmanship. Petropa obviously didn’t want you learning any type of self-defense, and Oroba had insisted that if your safety came down to a swordfight you were already raped.

“I can teach you a few things.” Voso’s eyes sparkled.

“Just give me the basics.” You said.

Voso gave a little squeal of joy and hurried over to you. “Okay, the first thing you need to work on is your grip…”

~~~~~

You hit Voso’s barrier again.

“Better.” She said.

Lowering your practice sword, you leaned on your knees to catch your breath. Swinging this thing hundreds of times was actually starting to hurt. And the mana you had lost earlier wasn’t making the exertion any easier.

“Alright everyone! Let’s reconvene before we end class.” Said Zara.

The mamono shuffled over to the dark priest. Now that the day’s training was finished it was clear which of your peers were most powerful. The weaker mamono were exhausted. One centaur looked like she was about to pass out. But the strong ones looked just as vivacious now as they had hours ago. The ignis was lazily doing flips in the air, unfazed by the energy loss.

“You’ve all done very well today. Make sure to practice your barriers on your own time to perfect them. Read up on trap detection techniques, we’ll be learning the basic utility spells next class.” Said Zara.

With a collective sigh of relief, the horde shuffled off to the mess hall. You rubbed your stomach where you had been wounded. Hopefully this wasn’t leaking anymore mana…

A firm hand clasped your shoulder. Shit, you hadn’t put your ward back up. You swiveled to see an oni leering down at you. She looked just as surprised as you that her hand was actually able to make contact with you.

“Oh ho? Feeling a little drained?” said the oni, squeezing your shoulder.

You pried her hand free with a wave of your hand and put your barrier back up just in time to stop the tide of hands and paws that came your way. The oni smiled at you with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t get to cocky, weakling. It’s just a matter of time. You can’t protect yourself. Neither can that demon whore you were practicing with earlier. So don’t get too familiar with her.”

You kept walking.

“I’m not mad at you, you know. I just want to keep you safe. Just come with me, and I’ll make sure nothing can ever hurt you.”

Keep walking. You flinched as a massive fist collided with your shield from behind.

“I’m talking to you, slut!”

All hell broke loose. Before you could even rectify your stagger, Demoto had already positioned herself between you and the oni. Voso wasn’t far behind. Some of the other monsters cheered and egged the oni on while others threatened to beat her if she touched you again. The Cheshire floated above the scene, clearly thrilled by the drama below.

“DON’T touch Anon.” demanded Demoto. Her snake tail was going ballistic, thrashing and biting at anything around her. Including you.

“Don’t hurt the poor thing!”

“Fuck that, tear that wall open and show him a human’s place!”

“If she does get him open, I call second.”

“Fuck you, he’s MINE.”

“You think you can stop me, freak?” said the oni.

“I’ll do more than stop you.” Said Demoto. She spit a small gout of fire at the oni’s feet.

Time to go.

“Demoto, come on. Let’s go.” You said.

Demoto’s face lit up with joy. “COMING, Anon. I know you don’t want to leave without me~”

That did it. Demoto’s taunt earned her a hard punch to the jaw. The chimera snarled and unleashed a torrent of flames at the oni. Some of the fire went wide, singeing some of the other mamono. As several monsters surged forward to attack Demoto, even more made a beeline towards you.

“Anon! Wait! Are you already taken by the chimera?!”

“He isn’t! She hasn't done shit to him!”

“I don’t care if he belongs to someone or not; he’s getting shared!”

Running was useless. You ran anyways. Voso was right there beside you.

“Anon! Quick! Take my hand and I’ll lift us out of here!” said Voso.

Not like there was any other choice. You reached out to take her hand.

And stopped.

Her palm was coated in ink. A scroll wrapped around her arm, disappearing into her sleeve. A signature line with a space for a thumbprint was conveniently situated where you would be grasping. Where the hell did she get all this from?!

“You don’t have a choice.”

Though it was midday and you were sprinting, a chill wormed its way down the back of your neck. Voso’s tone was different now. Huskier, more commanding. Not nearly as bubbly and welcoming as she had been just a moment ago. You tore your gaze away from the inky hand. Her eyes were glowing.

“Give me your mark. You are MINE.”

Her eyes pulsed as she spoke. It was impossible to look away. The thunderous sound of feet hooves and claws approaching tapered off into a dull white noise. She was right, you had to sign. The rest of the world was too hazy; Voso was the only thing that wasn’t rippling or warping. Trying to look anywhere but her eyes became painful. You groaned as the sky dipped down to the ground behind her.

“MINE.”

Her voice was excruciatingly loud. It shattered the silence and threatened to overwhelm your already mangled senses.

“NOW!”

You clasped your head as Voso’s voice echoed through your skull. Collapsing to your knees, you scrambled towards your savior. The only beacon of salvation in this wicked world.

And then she was gone.

Vertigo wracked your body and you dry-heaved into the dust. A harpy had just tackled the shit out of Voso at Mach two. The rest of the mamono didn’t give you a chance to shake off the doldrums of Voso’s magic. They were on you in an instant, pulling you in five different directions as they all tried to secure you as their own. Your screams were lost in the cacophony of shouts, boos, and shrieks. Claws and teeth scraped and scratched your body as your uniform was shredded away.

“NOOOOOO!”

Your neck wrenched painfully as the world was turned upside down. Through all the clamoring claws, paws, and talons, two massive hands pulled you free of the chaos. You let out a grunt of pain as your head was stuffed somewhere dark and soft.

“You shouldn’t be mean to people!” pleaded your savior.

“Fuck you, you damn snake! Give him here!”

“No! Not until you’re nice to him!”

Pushing with all your might you dislodged your head and swallowed a lungful of precious air. It was a wurm! Your simple savior must have heard your distress and come to rescue you. Rescue was a tenuous term though. You would take some of species she had just saved you from over being power-raped by a metric fuckton of muscle and scale.

“Dear! Stop! Put him down!”

The wurm gasped with happiness and dumped you onto the ground. Spinning around, she scooped up the man behind her and hugged him.

“I’m sorry! I just didn’t want him to get hurt.” Said the wurm, nuzzling his face.

“YOU’RE going to hurt him if you aren’t careful. He’s fragile.”

The wurm gasped and looked down at you. You were busy wedging yourself between her tail and the ground, trying to get as far away from the mob as possible.

“You’re not hurt are you?” asked the wurm.

“I am, but you didn’t hurt me.” Technically a lie since she did drop you hard on your shoulder, but this fib would prevent you from having your spine snapped in a hug.

The wurm glared at the other monsters. “You should all be ashamed. You hurt him!”

“He deserved it! And besides, he’s fine.”

“Yeah, he can’t keep teasing us!”

“To hell with Maranth! She’s been married too long! She’s forgotten what it’s like for monsters without a husband!”

A hellhound pushed her way to the front of the throng. “Excuse me, that man is my husband.”

“Oh! Then you can take him.” Said the wurm. She reached down with a tremendous claw and scooped you up.

The crowd roared in disapproval, shouting at the wurm that she was mistaken.

“She’s not his wife...” said the man on her shoulder. “She’s just saying that so you’ll hand him over.”

“Huh? What are you saying?” asked the wurm.

“She’s lying!” insisted her husband.

“Lying?”

“I’m not lying. Lying is wrong.” Said the hellhound.

The wurm relaxed a bit, but remained unconvinced. “How do I know you’re REALLY his wife?”

“Because I love him veeery much.” Said the hellhound.

You tried to pull back the wurm’s talons and make a break for it. If you had to put your faith in your mangled legs or a wurm brain, you were running. The wurm pulled you closer and whispered loudly in your ear.

“Is this some kind of roleplay, or are you really not married?”

“She’s not my wife damnit!” you shouted.

“I am! He just hit his head. He’s a bit confused.”

“Fuck you, bitch. I’m his wife!”

Heads turned to the back of the crowd. You couldn’t see who else laid claim to you.

“So you have TWO wives.” Said the wurm nodding. “I understand now.”

Understand what?!

“None of these monsters are my wife! I don’t have a wife!” you said, grabbing the wurm’s cheeks and forcing her to look at you.

“…You don’t?”

The wurm’s husband was frantically waving his hand back and forth across his neck.

“No!”

Your ribs creaked as the serpent’s gargantuan hand began to squeeze you. Tears welled up in the wurm’s eyes.

“But that’s so sad!” hiccuped the wurm. “Aren’t you lonely?”

“I’ll make him happy!” said the hellhound.

The wurm looked at the hellhound, and then back to you. She smiled.

“Don’t worry, little guy. You won’t be lonely any longer.”

“Sweetie, no! That’s not how this works!” said the wurm’s husband.

Before anyone else could convince the wurm that handing a wounded human off to a three-hundred pound ball of rape and claws was a bad idea, the hellhound snatched you away and tucked you under one of her arms. The rest of the crowd tried to give chase, but a sweep from the wurm’s tail sent them flying.

“Don’t hurt other people’s husbands!” she shouted.

By now, the class was more focused on punishing the wurm for her idiocy rather than raping you. A cartoonish dust cloud began to form behind you as magic and fists began to fly. Only a few harpies and winged mamono managed to maintain pursuit.

“I can’t fucking believe that worked!~” giggled the hellhound.

You fired off a spell at her feet, tripping her.

“Fuck!” she inhaled sharply. “Do that again and I’ll take you right here! We both know you don’t have the juice to get out of this, so it's up to you whether you get taken by one monster or twenty. I promise I’ll be gentle if you behave."

Bullshit! Look how much you’re drooling, lady!

“Like hell I’m just giving up.” You said. This time she was ready for your attack. A ward caught your spell and dissipated the magic before it could reach her.

“Hah! Have it your way. I was gonna savage you anyways~”

The harpies never stood a chance. At most, they could only annoy the hound as she bolted across the field. Bursting through the door, the hellhound hurried down the hall.

“I can’t wait to sink my teeth into you.” Panted the hellhound. You couldn’t tell if she was winded or just horny. “I’ll show you our room! We can move your stuff in lat- HYEEE!”

The hellhound let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeal as she rounded the corner. You fell out of her arms as the hellhound backed away from whatever startled her. You looked up to see what had startled the apex sexual predator. Maranth!

“Hello, Pambas~” said Maranth sweetly.

Squawks, shouts, and howls filled the hall as the other students started to catch up. Every monster that rounded the corner had the same reaction as the hellhound; stop, squeak, turn.

“I see you have Anon.” said Maranth.

The hellhound, Pambas apparently, picked you back up and stuffed your face into her breasts.

“He’s mine! I got him first!”

“I see… Did you already finish him? He looks a little…”

Though you couldn’t see Maranth’s voice, you could hear her confusion. Explaining how your alleged husband was almost naked, covered in scratches, bites, hickeys, bruises, and sweat was a tall order.

“None of your damn business. Get out of the way.”

“Mmm…”

The mamono watching the scene unfold began to whisper. One word kept coming up.

“Divot.”

“Oh yeah, divot.”

“Fuuuuck… She’s really going to push this isn’t she…”

What the fuck did that mean?

“I was actually looking for Anon; I needed to speak to him about something.” Said Maranth.

“He can talk later!” snarled Pambas.

“Anon? Can you even hear me in there?” asked Maranth. You wiggled a little bit to acknowledge her.

“Don’t talk to him!” shouted Pambas. Her grip tightened on you and you whimpered as her claws dug into your scalp.

“I think you’re hurting him.” Said Maranth.

Pambas instantly loosened her grip, but kept you firmly secured in her chest fluff.

“He needs me, Maranth. We both know he’s going to get torn to shreds if you just let him walk around unmarried. I can protect him.” Said Pambas.

“Protect him from who? Other mamono who want to love and cherish him?”

Pambas grinded her teeth. “That’s not fair, Maranth.”

“Why not? You certainly aren’t the strongest bachelorette at the school. You aren’t even the strongest in the class.” The valk took a step towards Pambas. To her credit, Pambas held her ground. “We both know that at Valisias men go to whoever gets them first. And whoever’s strongest get’s first pick. I’ve made a special exemption for Anon because of his unique circumstances. If I waive that exemption for you, I have to waive it for everyone. Unless you REALLY think that you can take on every other girl in the Academy who want’s a piece of him, I suggest that you let the poor guy go.”

“NEVER!” roared Pambas.

A sharp whistle pierced your ear as something flew past your head. The world sifted as Pambas collapsed backwards, still clutching you tight. The crowd let out a collective ‘ooh’ as they grimaced at the spectacle. Pushing yourself off of the hound, you almost collided with Maranth standing above you. In one move, the Valkyrie had unsheathed her sword and pinned Pambas to the floor with it. Pambas’ tongue lolled out of her mouth for a moment as her eyes retreated into her head before she let out a contented sigh and started snoring. Maranth slipped her arms under yours and helped you to your wobbly feet.

“Could one of you take her to the infirmary?” asked Maranth. A matronly looking unicorn slipped through the crowd to drag the would-be rapist away. All that remained of the incident was a puddle of arousal and a small hole in the floor where Maranth had skewered her.

Ah. Divot.

“Anon, are you free? I wanted to talk to you in my office if you had a moment.” Said Maranth, sheathing her sword.  
You nodded dumbly.

“Wonderful!~”

You shambled after Maranth as she strode briskly away from the paralyzed crowd.

~~~~~

“Take a seat.” Said Maranth.

You collapsed into the chair and let your head flop over the back. You heard a small whoosh as Maranth lit another one of her herb-cigarettes and exhaled a plume of smoke.

“How have you been adjusting to Valisias Academy?” asked Maranth.

“Fine.” You said reflexively. 

“Oh? So you weren’t about to have your cock ridden to a stump my an angry mob of mamono?”

“That wasn’t my fault. Voso used some bullshit charm spell on me.”

“Oh my! Monsters using charm spells?”

You lifted your head and glared at her. She smiled and straightened a thick stack of papers in front of her.

“Anon, I have a stack of ‘incident reports’ here. Do you know how many of these have your name on them?” asked Maranth.

“…All of them?”

She tapped a bit of ash into a tray. “Well I’m glad to see you’re not stupid; just foolish. How long have you been here?”

“Less than a week.”

“Less than a week… Hmm…” Maranth pulled back the corner of the stack, letting the papers fall back one by one.

“Come on, it’s not like I’m trying to stir up trouble.” You said.

“Then I must say you have an incredible talent for it. Raigill did brief me on your customs; when someone confronts you, you just try to ignore them, correct?”

“Exactly! I try to move on with my day and the next thing you know they’re trying to pin me! And them someone else pins them, and the whole thing spirals out of control!” you said.

“I see. A clash of cultures then.” Said Maranth easing back into her chair.

“What do you mean?”

“I MEAN this is mamono country you’re in. These aren’t human customs, and CERTAINLY aren’t otherworldly human customs. Best you learn to adapt when I’m not around to save your hide.” She let smoke flow out of her mouth. “Which I said I wouldn’t do by the way.”

“What do you mean ‘adapt’?”

“Monsters are used to getting an answer from a man when they talk to him. Even if it’s a no. Now, ‘no’ doesn’t necessarily dissuade monsters all the time but it does show that the man was at least paying attention to them. What you do… it’s not only an insult but a challenge as well. When you stay quiet, they want to make you scream even more.”

“What am I supposed to say?” you asked.

“That’s the tricky part. No real answer to that one; you’ll have to use your intuition and figure something out on a case by case basis. Every monster is unique; remember that.”

“Wonderful.”

“Don’t look so sad. I have a feeling you’ll find a way to make it all work out.” Said Maranth. “Now, about these reports…”

“Are you going to make me do community service or something?” you asked sarcastically.

Maranth’s eyes glinted. “It could be construed as a service to the community.”

Uh oh…

“You see Anon, I’m not mad about all these.” Said Maranth, slapping the pile. “In fact, I’m enjoying this.”

“Really?”

“You have no idea how boring this place can get!” said Maranth. She stood up and walked over to the window overlooking the training fields. “Day after day it’s just practice, study, practice study… The only reprieve from the monotony is when we have the practical exams or Academy Games. But then…” She turned back to you. “Someone like you comes along. It’s never been a guy before, but it always goes down the same way. Someone so polarizing that their name is on every students lips. The mere mention of them is enough to start a brawl. Monsters divide themselves into factions and the school turns into a warzone.”

“Maybe I’m missing how this is a good thing…” you said.

Maranth slammed her hands onto her desk and gave you a crazed smile. “Because it’s fun! It’s dynamic! This place was never meant to be a school, it was meant to be a bloody crucible to forge the best damn adventurers and warriors that ever walked the world! You can’t breed that kind of excellence with a training dummy and a textbook; it’s gotta be REAL combat. I haven’t been this excited in thirty years!”

“Oh, well… Happy to help.” You said.

“And help you shall. Take a look at this.” Said Maranth. She handed you a flier.

MAGIC COMPETITION. FIRST PLACE: A MANA POTION FROM ANON.

You looked up at Maranth. She wiggled her eyebrows. You leaned over and dumped the flier into the trash can next to her desk.

“No.”

“I figured you’d say that. So I’ll sweeten the pot; if you provide the “resources” for a mana potion, I won’t hold an open tournament for your hand in marriage.”

You coughed as air got caught in your throat. “WHAT?!”

“Don’t get me wrong Anon, I like you. You’re a good guy, even if you do have an attitude problem. But do I REALLY like you enough to keep filing all these reports?” she asked with an exaggerated pout.

“You told me you didn’t even do any paperwork!” you said.

“I know. I when I say ‘filing’ I mean filing. This place is a mess you know.” Said Maranth, gesturing to the heaps of clutter around the office. Touché.

“As an adherent to both Eros and the Fallen God, I’m also a bit miffed that you’re still single. Doesn’t sit right with me, even though I know it’s not entirely your fault. The sooner you get married the better. I think this little competition will help sus out some potential brides.” Said Maranth.

“Why a magic competition?” you asked.

“You’re good with magic. Well, not GOOD, but you’ve got a lot of the stuff and I wanna see if your kids turn out to be freakishly strong as well. Do you have a problem with magic?”

“No it’s just that-“

“You prefer muscles to magic?” asked Maranth cutting you off.

“That’s not it either!”

She giggled. “We can have physical competition next time, just for you~”

“Are you even listening?”

“Anyways, get that mana sample in as soon as possible.” Said Maranth ignoring you. “The competition will help take a bit of heat off you as well; these barbarians may be rapists, but they all respect a fair fight.”

“Yeah, what could go wrong…” you said.

“I’m so excited to find out!” said Maranth wiggling her wings in anticipation.

~~~~~~~

“Woah! Anon, you look like shit…”

You yawned and shuffled past the succubus. The chaos of the morning class had almost made you forget your promise to get them their man in exchange for protection. THEY didn’t forget.

“Let’s just get this over with…” you grumbled.

You told the succubi to stay put and wait for your signal. The three semen demons crouched around the corner just out of sight. Time to put your masterful plan into action.

Walking up to Brez’s door, you pounded on the thick wood. “Brez, it’s Anon. I need to give you something.”

You heard the bolt sliding out of place. Brez opened the door rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Anon? What is it?” he asked.

You used your magic to yank him into the hall. “You’ll thank me for this later.”

“What are you-“

With another flick of your wrist, you gave him alight tap in the gut. He doubled over and you quickly floated him down the hall to the waiting succubi. Brez let out one last shriek as a bachelor before he got hit with a barrage of charm spells. The hallway was practically glowing pink as the succubi figuratively and literally sunk their teeth into their meal.

As much as you loved seeing the man you just betrayed get gangraped, it was past your bedtime. You ascended the next flight of stairs to your floor and crept into your room. Stepping over the weak spot in the floor where a succubus had tried to tunnel into your room, you stuffed a bit of demon-realm cotton into your ears to drown out the sounds of sexual assault and went to sleep.


	34. Chapter 34

You yawned as you set your tray of food down next to the succubi squad.

“Morning Anon!” said Decara.

“Morning. So… How’s he doing?” you asked, eyeing the haggard form of Brez.

The poor guy looked like he hadn’t slept a wink last night. Getting power-raped by multiple succubi for hours on end would do that to a man, you supposed. He would probably be sprawled out on the bench if it wasn’t for the succubus holding him in her lap. She had her arms protectively wrapped around him as he leaned back onto her shoulder. Another of his honeymooning semen-demons was gently spoon-feeding him some oatmeal.

“Great! We’re all getting along just fine.” Said the succubus holding Brez. She nuzzled his face and licked a dollop of oats off his cheek.

“Yeah, but is he alright? He looks a little… peaked…” you said.

“Oh, he’s just recovering some mana. We took a lot out of him you know.”

“A LOT.” Added another succubus, wiggling her eyebrows at you.

“Well congratulations, I guess. Just don’t forget to uphold your end of the bargain.” You said, pointing your spoon at the gaggle of succs.

“Fine, fine. Just don’t expect us to do anything miraculous on your behalf; if a dragon decides she’d like an exotic piece for her hoard, I’ll throw you to her myself.”

Not the most loyal bunch, but they’d do. At least you had somewhere to sit at meals now. Having to constantly protect your ass from groping paws was exhausting. And now that the foundation was established, it was time for some muscle…

“You wouldn’t happen to know any other girls that would be interested in making a “deal” with me, would you?” you asked.

One of the succubi laughed. “I doubt you’ll get many offers with the Dash just around the corner.”

“The what?”

The succubus laughed even harder. “Oh wow, you didn’t hear?! Did you have to practice to get that oblivious or is it a natural talent?”  
“The ‘Dorm Dash’ is what the academy calls the night mamono claim their husbands.” Said Decara.

“By crashing the male dorms?”

“Let’s just say they aren’t ‘male dorms’ year-round; after the Dash, they’re coed.”

“So all the guys just get raped?” you asked.

“Oh no! By now many of the men have met monsters they’re interested in. For many couples the Dash is just an exciting romantic tryst. Your lover barges into your room and you welcome her with open arms before spending the night together as you passionately consummate your love…” The succubus blushed and held her cheeks as her tail waggled behind her. What a sweetheart.

“…And the single boys get rough, pelvis-bruising, bedframe-cracking, wall-shaking rapes!” Said the other succubus. She shuddered and wiped away a bit of drool.

Probably best to NOT be taken in such a manner…

“Why don’t they just blitz guys the second they show up?” you asked.

“It’s an unspoken agreement. Right now the male dorm is like a big cake; everyone will get their slice eventually but for now you’ve got to keep away the claws that are trying to get a taste of the frosting.”

“Bullshit! I’m nearing double-digit rape attempts and I haven’t even been here a month!” you said.

“Yeah, but have you ever seen the same girl try twice?” sneered a succubus.

“No.”

“And why do you think that is?”

“Cause they learned not to fuck with me.” You said.

All the succubi giggled this time.

“You know, I think I’m starting to see why so many monsters are going after him.”

“Cut him some slack. I think that attitude is endearing.”

“That ‘attitude’ is going to get him drained…”

You squirmed in your seat. Clearly you were VERY wrong in your assumption that the monsters trying to break into your room were intimidated by you.

“So it’s been the other monsters punishing them?” you asked.

“Yep. Anyone caught with their hand in the cock-jar gets the shit hazed out of them. It isn’t something you live down easily.”

“What about all of you? Why’d you take me up on my offer if you knew you were going to get hazed?” you asked.

“Because you actually exploited a loophole.” Said Decara.

“There’s something known as the ‘vampire clause:’ if a MAN lets you into the dorms, you won’t get shit for it. Now, if we had opened the door ourselves…”

“Why even make the deal in the first place if you could have just claimed him in… Actually when is the Dorm Dash?”

Decara looked at the ceiling and counted on her fingers. “Six days from today.”

“Well if we tried to claim him during the dash, we’d have to fight for him. There’s only so much dick in those dorms you know.” Said a succubus condescendingly.

“And we were horny.”

The rest of the succs nodded and hummed in agreement. Of course… How could you forget…

“So you’ll help me out during the Dash, right?” you asked.

“What? No.”

You almost dropped your spoon.

“What do you mean-“ you lowered your voice as you noticed a few adjacent mamono looking your way “What do you MEAN no? We had a deal!” you hissed.

“Maybe I’m understating the importance of the Dash; it’s like a holiday here.”

“Yeah, if you have a husband, you spend the Dash with him.”

“We can fuck in your room if you’d like. That way, we might be able to stab at them or cast a few spells if we aren’t too busy.”

You and the rest of the succubi stared at the succ who had made the suggestion. She pouted and nibbled on her biscuit. “It was just an idea…”

“Back to the point, what the FUCK am I supposed to do?!” you said.

“Find a wife, I gesh.” Said the obnoxious succubus through a mouthful of food.

“I know a unicorn who would LOVE to meet a sweet young man~” teased the succubi holding Brez.

“Then it's too bad Anon’s a dick.”

You glared at the succubus. She didn’t even blink. “What?”

“Thanks, but no thanks. The whole point of this bargain was to PREVENT me from getting wife’d in the first place.”

“Sorry Anon. If you’re still single after all this is over, we’ll help you out. I promise.” Said Decara.

“Why you’re so averse to getting laid is beyond me. Was sex some sort of ultimate taboo for your people?” asked the succubus feeding Brez.

“No. I just…”

You faltered as the words caught in your throat. Admitting that you hadn’t decided on which species you were going after would be injudicious. Letting mamono know that it wasn’t some strange custom or cultural influence from Earth, that it was just you taking your sweet-ass time sightseeing and trying to figure out which species to commit to, would be a death sentence. Any sense of leniency would vanish. Just like your pelvis.

But now you had the attention of the succubi. Might as well be playing poker against Professor X. You could already see them exchanging glances and grins.

“Just what?”

“I’m just not ready.” You said.

“Tell us!” said the succubus next to you, poking you in the ribs with her tail.

“There’s nothing to tell!” you said.

“You can’t lie to a succubus about love! Spill it.” Said the loud one.

“Do you have someone in mind already? Are you trying to woo her?”

“No. I’m going to class. If you’re going to leave me high and dry during the Dash, fine. I’ll just protect myself.” You grumbled.  
“If you can protect yourself, why did you need us in the first place?”

You grit your teeth and left the lunchroom as the bant-ubuss snorted in amusement. Time to find a backup plan. Fast.

~~~~~~

“Anon!”

You snapped to attention. Gelvie was giving lecturing your class about how they were all obese, worthless, incompetent… Nothing you hadn’t heard before. Tuning her out was second nature at this point.

“What the hell did I just day Anon?” asked Gelvie.

“That we’re shit and have no talent?” you said.

Gelvie’s nostrils flared with irritation. Shit…

“Well Anon, if you’re intelligent enough to know what I’m saying when you’re not paying attention, you’re smart enough to help me teach class today.” Said Gelvie sweetly.

Shiiiiitttt…

“Come over here, just stand right over there.” Said Gelvie gesturing to a spot beside her.

“Are you sure, I think there are other monsters here who would be MUCH better candidates fo-“

“NOW, MEAT!” roared Gelvie.

Her shout was now a Pavlovian cue to move quickly. Your legs were already hustling towards her before your brain could react. Gelvie relaxed a bit. A bit too much… Whatever she was planning wasn’t good.

“Now then, which of you lot are going into the slaver business?” asked the minotaur.

A few monsters raised their hands.

“How about military? Any of you plan on serving after graduation?”

More hands.

Gelvie nodded. “And how many of you are planning to get a husband through those careers?”

Most of the hands that were raised stayed up. Nice to know “slave catcher” was a valid career here…

“Well today, we’re going to learn the proper technique for capturing a slave.”

SHIT.

“Ma’am, I REALLY don’t think that this is the best time for me to be an assistant professor.” You insisted.

Gelvie sneered at you. “What’sa matter? Don’t want to be a slave?”

“That would be ideal, yes.”

Her grin widened. “That’s the spirit.”

Oh fuck. How could you fall for such a classic?! Your skills must be getting rusty from not shitposting in more than a year…

“First things first: when you’re raiding a village, the approach is important. The more time the humans have to prepare, the harder it’s going to be to fight them. Your goal is to subdue as many humans as you can before they can sound the alarm. Trust me, it’s a real pain in the ass to go through every closet and cupboard to find the stragglers.” Said Gelvie. “Here’s the situation. I’m going to start over there, and Anon will stay here. Anon, you can run or piss yourself or whatever else humans do. Just try to get away.”

“I can do anything?” you asked.

Gelvie scowled at you. “What do you mean?”

“Can I try and stop you?” you asked.

Gelvie cocked her head in confusion, then burst into laughter. “HA! You know what? Sure. If you want to try and stop me, go ahead.”

Nice! With magic on the table they wouldn’t have to scrape you off the ground with a spatula.

Gelvie trotted over to her starting area. “Ready?” she called. 

“Yeah.” You called back.

Gelvie didn’t waste any time. Digging her hands into the ground, she used the earth as leverage to launch herself into a sprint. Fuck she was fast! In just a second she was almost a third of the way to you.

Think!

She was moving too quickly to launch a proper counter-offensive. Panic ruled over careful planning, and you raised a barrier in front of you and squeezed your eyes shut. There was a loud crunch and a chorus of cringing onlookers as Gelvie hit the wall at full tilt. The force of the impact was more than you could handle. Though Gelvie hadn’t made it all the way through, the energy she transferred was more than you were putting out. You gasped and collapsed to your knees as the sudden wave of fatigue washed over you.

Gelvie drunkenly teetered off to your side. She took a few more steps towards, and then past you before falling down into the dirt. At least that was over.

“Anon…”

You gulped.

Gelvie peeled herself out of the dust and approached you. You scrambled to your feet and turned to face her but she was upon you before you could raise your hands to cast a spell. Seizing both your wrists, she hoisted you up and held you in front of her face.

“What was that Anon?” Asked Gelvie softly.

“A barrier.” You whimpered.

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS! I WANT TO KNOW WHY IT WAS THERE!” shouted Gelvie.

“Y-you said I could do anything…” you said.

“I meant anything PHYSICAL.” Seethed Gelvie shaking you back and forth.

“You did tell him anything…”

“Yeah, magic is all he’s good for too. How did you not see that coming?”

“You’re lucky he didn’t just throw you.”

Gelvie glared at the rest of the class, silencing the hecklers.

“You’re in MY class. And in MY class you train your BODY. Save your magic for Zara’s band of cowards.” Gelvie tossed you down and dusted herself off. “Fortunately for you, I’ve been bashing my head against harder walls since I was born. Now, let’s try that again.”

“Do I still have to be the slave?“

“Yes.”

Oh.

“At least give me a weapon.” You insisted.

“Fine. One of you, give him something. Doesn’t matter what. He won’t be able to lift it anyways.” Said Gelvie as she walked back to her starting position.

You jumped as a hail of swords, daggers, clubs, and even a bow were tossed your way. The rest of the class was silent, eagerly anticipating your choice of weapon. Was borrowing a weapon a sexual thing?

Of course it was. They were monsters.

But who threw which one? A lump formed in your throat as you realized that you may be condemning yourself to a random monster. Just pick something small, something that a would be wielded by a girl you could keep under control if she tried to rape you.

Without taking your eyes off the crowd, you slowly crouched down to pick up a small sword. The crowd groaned, except for an ocelomeh that licked her lips. Locking eyes with you, she mouthed to pick it up.

Not this one…

“You got ten seconds!” shouted Gelvie. “Ten… Nine…”

Quickly Anon, quickly…

One of the daggers caught your eye. A little string with a note was tied around the handle. You unfolded it.

“Feel free to use this, no contract this time” – Voso.

She had also drawn a little heart next to it. Surprisingly kind for someone who had tired to charm you into submission yesterday. This didn’t mean you were forgiving her.

You picked up the dagger and turned to face Gelvie. The other monsters moaned loudly and began to argue with each other.

“…Two… ONE!”

Gelvie charged at you again. Wait a minute, daggers are shit! What the fuck were you supposed to do to an angry mino sprinting at you?! Even if you stabbed her in the face the momentum alone would be enough to put you in a coma. Standing still was not an option. If you ran away from each other, at least the impact wouldn’t be as bad.

Turning heel, you began to sprint in the opposite direction. Seeing you flee, the class began to jeer and holler. Some urging you to run faster, others condemning you for running.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Gelvie caught up to you in a matter of seconds. As she approached, you tried to turn and stab her, but she grabbed your wrist and twisted the knife out of your hand. An involuntary squeal of confusion was squeezed out of you as Gelvie swept your legs and folded you lengthwise in one swift movement. After a moment you stopped struggling and focused on breathing. She was bearhugging you from behind, with your face stuffed between your legs like you were caught in the middle of your toe-touches. It was impossible to get any leverage, and it was supremely uncomfortable.

“Now this” Gelvie shifted your weight a little to get a better grip on your body “is an advanced technique. Unless you’re one of the bigger girls, you won’t be able to catch a man like this. The important thing is how I disarmed him. Did everyone see it?”

Everyone was too busy laughing at you to respond. This damn cow would pay for this…

“I didn’t, ma’am. Could you please demonstrate that again?”

It was that fucking dark elf that had tried to break into your room. Even though you couldn’t see Gelvie’s face, you knew she was smiling.

“Of course! Anon, you don’t mind helping out a little more, do you?” Gelvie squeezed you hard, forcing the air out of her lungs. Dropping you to the ground, she slid the dagger back to you with her hoof. “Pick it up.”

You picked up the knife and waited for Gelvie.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“You’re going to kink my spine no matter what. What am I supposed to do?”

“Defend yourself!”

Gelvie lunged at you and you held your hands up instinctively. She grabbed your wrists and flung you sideways into the dirt. This time, she didn’t bother disarming you. You slashed wildly at her ankles as she closed the gap. For a second you were able to keep her probing hands at bay, but Gelvie switched tactics. Moving to your feet, she used your ankles to roll you over before you could reach down to stop her. You twisted painfully as your body tried to rotate with your hips and legs. Straddling you, the mino pinned your knife hand to the ground and latched a hand onto the back of your neck.

“It can be tricky to deal with humans who are flailing like that. Worst when they’ve holed themselves up somewhere. I once spent three hours trying to pull a farmer out of a wardrobe he had hidden himself in. Anyways, once you’ve got a human, it’s important to restrain them right away. You may be tempted to just rape them on the spot, but you need to make sure there aren’t anymore humans around. If you just pin them, they can get back up and fight again if more men show up. So now we’ll practice restraining. One of you toss me that rope.”

The word ‘rope’ caught your attention. Normally you didn’t pay attention to Gelvie’s lectures; you weren’t interested in becoming a slaver and you didn’t intend to ever set foot in Order territory. Her reasons as to why these techniques should be learned was moot. Avoiding a hogtie was something that was absolutely worth paying attention for.

You wriggled and squirmed as a bundle of rope plopped into the dirt next to you. Gelvie lowered herself down to put a bit more pressure on you.

“Mmm… Love it when they squirm. Like I said, it may be tempting to just tear their clothes off, right away, but you can always do that later. A quick sweep of the area and you’re all set. If you’re good, you can get back to your man in a few minutes.” Said Gelvie as she patted your head with her free hand. “Don’t be afraid to give commands either. Humans are submissive and will usually listen to what you say. Anon, drop the knife.”

You flicked the knife away. The chances of you getting out of this were slim. If you were going to get tied up, following her instructions would at least save you a few rope burns.

“Hmph. Didn’t expect that from you. This isn’t too important, but it’s a good practice to praise and reassure cooperative humans. Once they understand that you’re not here to hurt them they get pretty docile.” Said Gelvie. Her right hand released your arm and began petting your head. “There… That’s it. You’re alright. I’m not going to hurt you. Just do as I say and everything will be alright.”

Her voice was surprisingly motherly when she wanted it to be. Even when you were face down in the dust, sandwiched between her thighs, you felt some of the tension slipping out of you. Gelvie had your wrists tied behind your back in in instant. Moving down to your feet, she bound them as well and connected them to your wrists with a separate rope segment.

“This is my personal favorite tie because you can do this.” Said Gelvie. She used the rope connecting your limbs to lift you like a duffle bag. “Might be impractical for some of you smaller folks. Not because you can’t lift him, it’s just a lot easier to balance the weight when he’s smaller than you.”

“Can I try that, Miss Gelvie?” asked the dark elf.

“No.” you said.

The minotaur took the ropes off your wrists and ankles. “Actually we’ll be breaking into groups now. Everyone find a man, three or four girls to a human. Practice disarming and tying. If you’re not using the human, the other group members can practice disarming each other.” Said Gelvie.

“Can I be in Anon’s group?” asked the elf.

“NO.”

“Sure, why not. Just don’t take it too far.” Said Gelvie. She gave you a slap on the back, sending you flying into the dark elf’s arms. The elf wrapped you tightly in her arms, leering down at you.

“Hi there, little guy. You’re gonna behave for me right?” she said through bared teeth. This was about to be EXTREMELY unpleasant. Was it worth it to use magic and get rid of her? Surely she couldn’t do anything TOO dangerous. You were still in class after all.

“Get your filthy hands off of him.”

Voso! Picking up her dagger and wiping the dirt off on her sleeve, Voso glared at the elf.

“He’s MINE Rhodon.” Said Voso.

The elf slowly took her hands off of you, then shoved you into the dirt at the demon’s feet.

“Then take him. Ah, I forgot! You won’t.” said Rhodon. “I guess the spine you grew when you tried to charm him must have been knocked out when you got hit by that harpy.”

Voso clenched her fists.

Rhodon snorted. “Everyday that he goes unmarried is an affront to Extremist ideals. I can’t believe you of all people are sticking up for him.”

“Druella’s tits, are you just going to whine about how he hasn’t been jumped or are you actually going to get off your dainty ass and do something about it?”

Demoto sauntered through the thinning crowd and up to Rhodon. “…Cause I don’t think you’re capable of the latter.”

Rhodon’s face twitched as she tried to keep her composure. Demoto was a only half a foot taller, but a hell of a lot bulkier. She tried to shove the chimera back, but Demoto didn’t budge.

“I’m not dumb enough to try anything here, hybrid. Not after what happened after your little magic show. And for the record, I don’t care whose thighs he ends up between. I only want that arrogant shit to learn a human’s PLACE in the world.”

“YOU FOUR, GET TO WORK!” shouted Gelvie.

“Goodness, it looks like we’re all in a group together.” Said Rhodon with mock surprise. “Who want’s first go at him?”

“Me.” Said Voso.

You snagged a practice sword from one of the racks nearby and took your place. Voso didn’t bother with any weapons. She had a coil of rope in one hand and the end in the other. Creeping up to you, she waited until she was just out of striking range. Feinting forward, she twisted away from your sword as you swung and tossed the loop of rope over your head. Tugging the rope with her other hand, she pulled you towards her. In an impressive display of flexibility, she stuck her leg up past your head as you stumbled, hooking the back of your head in the crook of her knee. Voso finished the movement by pulling you down with her leg until she was on one knee with your neck firmly sandwiched between her thigh and calf. Her tail curled around your sword arm and pulled it tight, preventing you from swinging.

“Please don’t struggle, I know this is uncomfortable but I don’t want to hurt you.” Said Voso.

Holy shit. Honestly, you weren’t even mad. In one motion you had gone from defending yourself to lassoed with your head pressed into Voso’s firm thighs. How the hell was the Order still around?

You gurgled out your surrender as her leg continued to choke you out. Voso’s tail tugged your wrist back and forth as it wagged involuntarily. Cute. Even if she was an attempted rapist, you just couldn’t bring yourself to hate this cute blueberry.

Voso let your neck go and began tying your hands behind your back. You were about to tell her to stop grinding her crotch against your back when a pained yowl made both of you jump.

Rhodon and Demoto were fighting. Whatever had sparked the confrontation, they had now given up any semblance of training. Rhodon pulled her sword out of the chimera’s paw and cartwheeled away from a jet of flames.

“STOP STABBING ME, TWIG!” roared Demoto. Her wings beat and she shot towards Rhodon.

“We’re learning DISARMAMENT. If you want me to stop stabbing, disarm me.” Said the dark elf. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn’t dodge the mountain of hooves, claws, skin and scales hurtling towards her. Demoto crashed into her with a gut-wrenching crunch.

Rhodon was the only one to move after they skidded to a stop. With a crazed look on her face, she used her legs to push herself out from under the chimera. Demoto groaned as Rhodon’s high-heels pressed against her face and breasts. As she rolled over, you inhaled sharply. Rhodon had managed to skewer Demoto as she was being tackled. Rhodon planted her foot on Demoto’s gut and wiggled the sword in her chest back and forth.

“What’s the matter? Come on! Tell me again how I’m too weak to rape anyone!” shouted Rhodon. She twisted the hilt sharply eliciting a sharp gasp from Demoto. The poor chimera’s hips bucked wildly.

“No!”

Rhodon turned her attention to you. Voso didn’t stop you as you scrambled out from between her legs.

“Leave her alone, you pointy-eared sadist.” You said.

The rest of the class, Gelvie included, were now watching the drama unfold.

“Yeah? And are you going to be the one who stops me? I hope your into this kind of thing, Anon. Because when I get my hands on that scrawny hide of yours, I will make sure to perforate every INCH of your body with silver pins~”

Rhodon pulled the sword out a few inches and jabbed it back into Demoto. Magic flowed into your hands as your temper flared.

“No magic, Anon.” said Gelvie.

Rhodon laughed. “No magic, hmm? Well I’m sure that you have all sorts of OTHER skills you can use to stop me right? Martial arts? Your wits? Brute strength? I’ll tell you what, if you get on your hands and knees and BEG to kiss my ass, maybe I’ll let your friend here go.” Said Rhodon turning around to give you a view of her brown bubble-butt.

The light around your fists flared. Voso put her hand on your shoulder. “Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Demoto is tough, she’ll be fine.” She hissed.

You exhaled and tried to get some of the magic in your hands to dissipate. You looked at Gelvie. “Are you going to stop this?”

Her face radiated contempt. “Only a coward needs someone else to do things for them. If you want her to stop, you do it yourself.”

“Fine. I will.”

Eyes widened and wry grins spread as the crowd tensed in anticipation. No doubt that the crowd expected you to get hacked to pieces trying to swordfight a dark elf. And that would be true. If you weren’t a skeevy cheating bastard.

You looked Rhodon in the eyes and took a step towards her. She laughed and pulled the sword out of Demoto, flicking away the droplets of mana and sauntering towards you.

“I’ll give a hug to whoever stops her.” You said, without breaking eye contact with Rhodon.

Rhodon’s face went pale. As pale as a dark elf’s face could get. For one second, the only noise on the practice field was Demoto’s breathing. Every pair of eyes snapped from you to Rhodon.

“No, don’t listen to him.” Squeaked Rhodon. “T-this is between me and Anon, no one else can interfere!”

A werewolf broke the tension and sprinted at Rhodon. The split second the elf turned away from you proved to be one second too many. A whistle deafened you as Voso whipped a dagger past your head. You’d have to check later, it felt like she took a few hairs off next to your ear…

The dagger embedded itself in Rhodon’s head with a gooey thud. She fell flat on the ground, unable to use her arms to soften the fall. She let out a little coo of pleasure as an orgasm rocked her body, and then lay still.

Everyone stared at the elf, (who was now leaking fluid through her leotard), wondering what to do next.

Voso put her hand on your shoulder. “Hug please.”

Oh, right. Voso held her arms out for you as her tail thrashed madly behind her. You wrapped your arms around her and she pulled you the rest of the way in. She slipped one of her arms across your lower back and used the other hand to hold the back of your head. Her body shuddered and she made a high-pitched hum signifying her contentment.

Gelvie sighed. “Alright, show’s over. Get back to work, idiots.”

The other monsters went back to whatever it was they were doing. Voso ignored them, slowly rocking you from side to side in her arms.

“Voso…”

“No. You said I got a hug, you didn’t say how long it would last. As long as I keep you here, it’s still just one hug.” Said Voso.

Fucking demons. Leave it to the Extremists to milk a hug. 

The werewolf cleared her throat behind you. “Uhh… I helped too. So, can I uh… Can I get a hug too?”

You sighed. “Yeah, give me a second.”

“Anon!” said Voso.

“What? She helped. The least I could do is give the poor girl a hug.” You said.

“Hmph.” Voso held you tighter and pouted.

“I could come back later if this is going to take a while…” said the werewolf.

“No, no. It’s fine. Voso, come on. It’s her turn.” You said letting your arms dangle at your side.

“No! Put your arms back! If you don’t finish the hug it’s a breach of contract!” said Voso.

“Breach of contract?! It’s a hug! Get off of me!” you said. Pressing against her stomach you tried to push her away.

“NO! I’M NOT DONE YET!”

“WOMAN, THE HUG HAS ENDED!”

You heard the werewolf mutter something about a raincheck and walk away.

“I WILL NOT BE DENIED!” screamed Voso. Her tail coiled around one of your legs.

Well shit. Looks like you weren’t getting out of this one. The only places to push her away were her hips and breasts. Touching either was a bad idea, doubly so because of Voso’s mood. With nothing better to do, you put your arms back around Voso. She gasped and squealed as your hands closed in over the small of her back.

“Anon! I feel the same way about you too! We can get married later today. How many kids do you want? I have names for the first sixteen, but- OH! None of them are names from your world! Ha ha! You’ll probably want family that reminds you of home right? I don’t know any {Earth} names. What are some good ones? They have to be sexy though. Or brave!”

“I’m just finishing the hug…” you said quietly.

Voso’s nails dug into your skin a little as her hands tightened their grip. “Ah, yeah. Right. Just finishing the hug. Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself…”

She finally let you go. As you slipped away from her, she caught your hands in her own. “Just, uh, keep me in mind when you are ready to choose someone, okay? You can still pick someone even if you can’t have sex you know. If they’re the right person, they’ll wait for you.”

She was smiling but her eyes were full of hurt. Muh heart…

“We should go check on Demoto.” You said. In reality, you couldn’t bear to look into those eyes any longer. That would be how you went down, wouldn’t it? Falling for some monsters puppy eyes because you couldn’t bear to break their heart. Not undone by some rapist’s malice, but by your own bleeding heart. Irony sucks…

The chimera was still passed out on the ground. There was no wound to be seen, but there was a constant stream of mana flowing out of her chest.

“It’s still coming out…” you said.

Voso gave you a look. “Yeah, it sure is Anon. Are you going to stop it?”

“I can do that?”

Voso pursed her lips and stared at you.

“Just tell me how if you’re going to make that face.” You said.

“Men have it easy. Just pour some of your energy into her.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“Just ‘shaaa!’ and done?” you said flicking your hands.

“You don’t have to make that noise.”

You put your hands a few inches over her stomach where the mana wound was. Focusing hard, you tried to imagine your own mana flowing into Demoto. After a few seconds, you unscrunched your face and looked at the wound.

“I don’t think it’s working…” you said.

“Try touching her. Sometimes it helps people to have contact.” Said Voso.

Placing your hand on her stomach, you tried again. Man she was warm. Was that because she breathed fire?

“There it goes.” Said Voso.

Sure enough, the wisps of distorted air coming though your fingers shrank and then stopped.

“She’s not waking up.” You said.

“She sure isn’t Anon. That tends to be the case when you’ve just had most of your mana drained by a sword.” Said Voso.

This fucking demon…

“Can we wake her up?” you asked.

“You can pour in some more mana and see what happens. If we just let her rest she’ll wake up too.”

“I’ll just add a liiiitle more.” You said. Placing your hands back on her body you focused on pouring mana into Demoto as slow as possible. 

Her brow furrowed and she twitched a little. Groaning in her sleep, her hands reached up towards you. Voso yanked you back by your collar just before her massive mitts could grab you. Demoto snored loudly and rolled over.

“I think I’ll just let her rest.” You said.

“Then I guess we can go back to practice~” said Voso. She picked up the rope smiled seductively at you.

Class wasn’t even half finished and all other partners were unconscious. Voso licked her lips and began strutting towards you.

Fuck.

~~~~~~~

“Holy shit Anon, is someone abusing you?” asked one of the succubi.

“You could say that…”

You rubbed your aching wrists. It felt like half your body had rope-burns with how many ways Voso had trussed you up. Every time she disarmed you she took her dear sweet time holding you down and making sure you were “secure”. Hell, the last half hour of class she wasn’t even practicing her restraints! Sure, she told you that she was trying out some “ancient Zipangunese binding art taught to her by a kunoichi” but you knew by the way that those ropes hugged your crotch that it was a bondage tie. The inside of your thighs still hurt…

“If you’re getting roughed up now, you aren’t going to survive the Dash.” Said the smugcubuss.

“No thanks to you lot.” You said.

“We’ll help if we can.” 

“But we probably won’t.”

“Weren’t you trying to rope more mamono into helping you?”

“I’m working on it.” you said defensively.

“Better work fast.”

“Any of you have any idea who else might take me up on my offer?” you asked.

“The more restrained they are, the better. I’d stay away from ogres, hellhounds, werewolves…” said Decara.

“Fuck that. If you’re going to survive this you’ll need all the muscle you can get.” Said another succ. “Sure it’s a gamble, but you’re going to have to take some risks if you want to survive unraped.”

Muscle huh? Maybe you could get some of the magic class to help out. You had initially ruled them out; anyone who was capable of getting through your wards was someone you didn’t want watching your back. Not to mention that they had almost torn you to shreds. But surely there must be SOME monsters in there that were disciplined enough to keep their pants on for one night.

“How about we make you a list?” offered Decara.

“Really? That would be great.” You said. It was so much easier for the succubi to talk to the other monsters. When you tried to speak to your other classmates, they just stared at your crotch and nodded.

“Anon!”

Raigill walked up to the succubi table. “When you’re done with your meal, let me know. I need you for something.”

“What’s up?” you asked. Had you forgotten another assignment?

“I just need you to help out with that THING.” Said Raigill.

“What thi- OH! Oh. Right. Give me just a second, I’m almost done eating.” You said. Scarfing down the rest of your meal, you bid your seductress comrades goodbye and hurried after her.

“Have you ever made a mana potion before?” asked Raigill.

“It’s been a while.” You said.

“That’s fine, I can make it myself.”

“Actually, I’d like to brush up on my skills of you don’t mind.” You said.

“Of course!” said Raigill. She opened the door to the laboratory and let you in. Once you were inside, she cast a ward on the door and wedged a chair underneath the knob. “Monsters can get a bit frisky if they smell you, err…”

“No need to explain. I know.” You said. “Just give me the tube.”

Raigill handed you the sample tube and you slunk off to a corner. Raigill’s presence made you a bit uncomfortable, but you were able to finish in no time thanks to the fresh memories of sweat-glazed thighs and tits. The food might suck, but the view at Valisias Academy was to die for. Heh.

“Here you go.” You said handing the vial to Raigill.

She swirled it a few times. “Hmm… Looks no different from normal…”

It’s cum lady. Don’t set your expectations that high.

“No matter. Let’s begin, shall we?”

~~~~~~

Almost an hour later, Raigill wrote your name on a label and tied it around the neck of the flask. You had also filled out several pages of notes. If you could make these potions, they might come in handy a bargaining chip.

“Done! This stuff smells pretty potent.” Said Raigill.

“…Thanks?”

“I’ll go deliver this to Maranth. Oh! And she told me to tell you that the fliers go up tomorrow.” Said Raigill.

“Can’t wait…”

“Don’t look so down. The more monsters that are focused on the competition, the fewer are focused on you.”

“Until the competition ends and I’m facing down a crowd of sore losers.”

“You’ll be fine. Go get some rest, those abrasions need to heal.” Said Raigill. She undid her seal and removed the chair. “See you tomorrow.”

You quickly followed her out of the room. Knowing this place the scent of semen was bound to attract monsters like flies to honey. Walking briskly across campus, you hurried up the stairs to your dorm and slammed the door shut behind you. With a sigh, you let your feet slide out from under you until you were sitting against the door.

“Rough day at work?”

Magic shot out of your hands. One bolt tore a chunk of plaster out of the wall and another left a smoldering hole in the ground. Raising your shields, you flopped and stumbled to your feet. Laughter echoed through the room.

“Great shooting, deadeye. Show those termites who’s boss.”

Where was the voice coming from?

“Behind you.”

This time the voice was next to your ear. So close you swore you felt hot breath on your ear. You shot wildly behind you putting two more holes in the wall.

“Relax, tough guy, I’m not here to rape you. But I could! So just keep that in mind~”

“Who are you?” you panted.

A floating mouth hovered out from behind your head and hung in the air a foot in front of your face. “I’ll give you oooonnneee guess~”

You lowered you hands. “You’re that Cheshire, aren’t you? From the magic class.”

“Guilty!~” giggled the mouth, spinning in the air.

“What the hell do you want.” You demanded.

“Just to talk. Do you mind if I bring the rest of me?”

“So you can attack me?”

“If I wanted to attack you…” A paw appeared below the mouth and shot to your crotch. Somehow it bypassed your wards and clamped down hard on your package. “I’d just do that.” Said the cat. She released your balls and the paw disappeared.

“Fine.” You said rubbing your junk. “But if you try anything funny, I’ll-“

“Blast me, fry me, blah blah blah…” said the Cheshire as she popped into existence. “You talk too much you know that? At least get some fresh material if you’re going to be threatening people all the time.”

“What can I say? I’m a simple man.”

Her grin widened. “Ah, but that’s what I like about you. Not many guys here that know how to banter. Not many that last, anyways. Once they get molested they all mellow out. I hope once YOU get through your first power-hour you’re still this witty.”

“Uh huh. What do you want.” You asked.

“Oh, straight to business then? How professional!” snickered the Cheshire. “Ah! You’re being so formal and I haven’t even introduced myself! My name is Pacolo. But you can just call me Colo!”

She bowed and did a barrel roll in the air.

“Before I get into what I want from you, first I need to ask you a few questions.” 

“Okay…” you said. You didn’t like where this was going… Knowing cheshires, you were probably on some sort of game show. The Price is Rape or something.

“You’re from another world, yeah? And guys there were dominant, right?” said Colo.

“Yes.”

Colo nodded. “So they courted women. The men did, I mean. A-and the women still got the men, right?”

“Are you asking if people got married? Marriage happened all the time.” You said.

“I know, I know! But it wasn’t like the Order cities either, right? The women had the option to say no, but accepted the proposal anyways 'cause they liked the guy so much, right?”

“Yes. In most places at least.”

“Okay. Good, good… Uhh…”

Colo blushed. “So how did women go about marrying the guys? If they weren’t the ones making the first move, or if they did make the first move and maybe the guy didn’t understand that it was the first move and they kept shrugging it off…”

You stared at her. “I’m sorry, are all these questions?”

“Yes!” snapped Colo. Her tail bushed out. “Now answer!”

“Men chased women, and they got married. I have no idea what you’re asking beyond that.”

“How do I get a guy to see me in a romantic way?!” said Colo.

Her crimson face contorted into a pout. Oooohhh…

“So you came to ME looking for romantic advice about the guy you like, who apparently is more forwards than other guys?” you said.

“No! I mean, yes, but not-“ Colo sighed and sat on your bed. “His name is Guyan. He works at a bakery café deal in town. We’ve known each other forever. I love him so much but…”

“But he keeps coming on to you too strong.” You said.

“No! The opposite! He thinks I hang out in the café all the time because we’re friends! Every time I try to flirt with him, I lose my nerve and we just end up joking and-“

Colo took a break from venting to grab your pillow and scream into it.

“You drop your {spaghetti} every time you see this guy and he doesn’t understand that you want to be more than just banter buddies.” You said.

“I’m not sure about the first thing you said, but the second half was right.” She sighed.

“And he’s single? How old is this guy? I don’t think there are too many bachelors in this Valisias…”

Colo’s ears flattened and turned back. “I marked him. Everyone knows that he’s mine. Some girls have even made a sport out of watching me try and flirt with him.”

“I still don’t see how I fit into all this. Isn’t there some succubus or cupid that can teach you the intricacies of love?” you asked.  
“I’ve tried! They all tell me one of two things: “Just tell him how you feel”, or “Just rape him.””

“I mean, you COULD just rape him…”

“I’ve thought about it. But every time I’m hanging over his bed, I can’t bring myself to do it. I want him to want me too. When we’re together I want it to be more… romantic.”

What do you mean hanging out over his bed? Do cheshire’s really just watch their crush sleep?

“You want the love to be more mutual.”

“Yeah! So I thought, “Anon is from a world where people do that mushy stuff!” and I came to you. You’ve got a similar personality to Guyan. I’m sure you can help me out!” she said, framing you between her fingers.

“I don’t know if I can help you…” you said. Monster relationships were still a mystery to you. Most of them just jumped a man, and the ones that didn’t usually had no trouble wooing their mate. What the hell were you supposed to do?

“You have to!” pleaded Colo. “I’ve waited so long! Please! I can’t stand it! And I’ll help you.”

You gulped. The way she said “help you” implied that she wasn’t just going to let you copy her homework.

“Everyone knows about you. And half the monsters in the Academy are going to be putting an axe to that door during the Dorm Dash. You’ve wrangled what, five or six succubi into helping you, and they’ve already decided to ditch you. The way I see it, you’re going to need a hell of a lot more backup, or an usher to direct the line of women waiting to fuck you.”

“Are you volunteering as the latter?” you said dryly.

Colo snickered. “No, as funny as that would be, I’m offering you a chance to have ME at your side during the dash.” She said, puffing out her chest.

“Okay…”

“Hey! Remember who you’re talking to here.” Snapped Colo. I’m not in the advanced group for nothing, you know. To survive the night, you’re going to have to move. No way you’ll be able to fortify against an army of mamono. And what better way to avoid the heat than with your own teleportation assistant?”

“You mean you blinking me around, away from the mob.” You said.

“You got it! They won’t even know where we’re hidden~”

You thought about it for a moment. At this point you weren’t in any position to turn down help, no matter who it came from. And if Colo was telling the truth, she might be enough to get you through the entire night by herself.

“Okay, deal.” You said.

“Really?!” Colo leapt off your bed.

“Yeah. BUT, you have to help me through the Dash even if you aren’t in what’s-his-face’s bed. I’ll help you out as best I can but relationships like the one you’re talking about take time.”

Colo frowned. “Hmm… Acceptable. We’ll go to the café tomorrow after class!”

She hovered off your floor and did a pirouette in the air and vanished, leaving only her mouth behind.

“See ya’ around, Anon~”

The mouth blinked out of existence. Collapsing onto your bed, you picked up the pillow Colo had used and stuffed it under your head. It smelled like strawberries…

Would you be able to uphold all these obligations? The more deals you made the more likely it was that you would default on one of them. Default. What did that mean to the mamono? 

Best not to find out.


	35. Chapter 35

“How bad is it?” you asked.

“Bad.” Said Decara.

“I know it’s bad. I asked HOW bad.”

Decara fidgeted. “I don’t think you’re going to get jumped, if that’s what you’re asking.”

You inhaled through your teeth. “Business as usual then. Let’s go.” 

The succ squad pushed through the doors to the mess hall. You followed close behind them, huddled in the middle with Brez. Real standup guy, Brez. He was pretty understanding about the whole gangrape thing after he had gotten used to it.

Chatter tapered off as the other monsters took notice of your posse. Moving through the line as quickly as you could, the succubi ushered you to a seat.

Maranth had put up the fliers for the contest, just like she said she would. The magic users were abuzz with excitement. It seemed like it was an even split between monsters excited to show off and the ones that just wanted your mana.

The mages weren’t who you were concerned about though.

Making it a magic contest was clearly not a decision made by popular vote. The non-mage monsters were all grumbling about being cheated out of a chance to compete. Even a few of the less skilled magi were bitter. And now they were taking it out on you. Never before had you been called a slut so many times in such a short timeframe.

“Hey Anon, if you’re pimping yourself out, I’ll give you a copper to lick my feet.” Said a passing high orc. The rest of the orcs laughed and cheered at their leader’s prosaic banter.

“Are mana potions that big of a deal here? I mean, they were in high demand in Admaz too, but I never got this treatment for making one there…” you whispered to the succubi.

“They’re just jealous. If it was any other competition, they’d be swallowing their sausages whole so they could get out to the training field faster.” Said Brez.

“I guess most monsters just see giving away your semen like that as a bit of a whore move.” Said the snarky succubus.

“Well it’s not like I had a choice!” you said.

“Oh, yeah. Getting married. Thank Druella you avoided that awful fate…”

“I’ll marry who I damn well please.” You said.

“Hmph. That’s the kind of attitude that shows you’re from a different world. You can try to hold out if you want, but don’t expect monsters to respect your chastity as much as you do.” Said the motherly succubus.

“I know what this place is like. After the fifth or sixth rape attempt, you start to notice a pattern.” You said.

“It’s not so bad. Anon doesn’t even have to be involved in the competition anymore. All he had to do was provide the potion.” Said the quiet succ.

“True enough. Maranth hasn’t roped me into BEING at the competition. Unless she says otherwise, I’m washing my hands of this whole affair.” You said.

“I’m more worried about what happens AFTER this is all over. I doubt that the other students are willing to just let this go. Not with their bloated egos…” said Decara.

“Do you think they’ll have another competition?” you asked.

“It’s possible. If enough mamono ask Maranth, there’s a good chance she’ll get you to make more spirit supplement. Especially if the winner of this competition is the gloating type.” Said Brez. “Just out of curiosity, have you ever seen a monster drink one of your potions?”

“Yeah…”

Poor Buera… As far as you knew, only two monsters had ever snarfed your spirit supplement, and it hadn’t ended well for either of them.

“What kind of response is that? What happened to them?” asked the smugcubuss.

“Nothing good. Let’s just say that I don’t think many monsters will be jealous when they see what happens…”

The succubi looked at each other.

“I bet it was the taste. Maybe people from his world just produce extra foul supplement.” Said the dumb succubus.

“No, moron. All supplement tastes bad. That’s why they put it in liquid in the first place.”

“It COULD taste worse…”

“Well, I’m not too worried about this. Making potions or supplement is something I can handle. Getting squashed between my mattress and an ogre isn’t. Now, I know you lot said that you were going to find me leads for other mamono who would be willing to help me during the Dash. Have you come up with anything?” you said.

The succubi all looked away.

“Nothing? Not ONE monster?” you asked incredulously.

“Supporting you isn’t exactly a popular sentiment, you know.”

“Yeah! Everyone’s already jealous that we got Brez early. Convincing the others is hard!”

“If most of them didn’t want to ravage you already, you wouldn’t need us in the first place.”

“First of all, don’t say ravage. I don’t like how romantic that makes rape sound. Second, how many monsters have you actually talked to?” you demanded.

“Lots!”

“Tons!”

“Everyone I meet!”

“Wow, really? Were you guys doing that when it wasn’t your turn with Brez?”

The dumbcubuss gulped as the others glared at her.

“Please… PLEASE tell me that you have ACTUALLY been trying to rally support for me and not just fucking your husband.” You said dragging your hands down your face.

“… Yeah.”

“When we get a chance.”

“I asked someone today.” Offered Decara.

Right. Of course. Wonderful. Honestly, you had only yourself to blame. Giving the succubi Brez was like giving a hobo access to a buffet under the condition that he does your taxes. This was never going to work…

“Fine. I’ll just do it myself.” You said wiping your face and standing up.

“You will?”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“I’ll say. The guilt was starting to annoy me.”

“Now we can spend even MORE time with you~” said the motherly succubus holding Brez.

“Hey!” you snapped.

They turned their attention back to you.

“That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!” you said.

“But you said-“

“I was guilt tripping you! Need I remind you that I am only asking for your help because you hairbrained harlots neglected to mention that you would be absent the ONE NIGHT I needed you most?” you seethed.

The succubi groaned and sighed.

“Yeah, fine. We’ll keep looking. Whoever isn’t with Brez can go campaign for the soon-to-be-raped here.” Said the smugcubuss.

You dropped off your tray and left. Fucking succubi…

~~~~~~

“Hey MEAT. Is something wrong?”

Demoto looked back at you with concern. Her snake tail flicked its tongue at you, trying to catch your scent.

“Just busy trying to plan my future.” You sighed.

“Are you worried about the competition? DON’T worry. I’ll win for you~” she said with a lick of her lips. Her eyes narrowed and glinted as her tone changed from concern to confidence.

“You’re entering?”

“Sure am. I think anyone with enough magic to lift a quill is throwing in for that SWEET, SWEET mana.”

“Bullshit. I thought most mages weren’t even going to bother. Half of them don’t stand a chance.” You said.

“Right you are! For that last part. The WEAKLINGS will be crushed the second they set hoof on that field. But it isn’t about winning for them, it’s about HAVING THE GUTS to show up even when you aren’t going to win.” Said Demoto.

“Is that why you’re entering?” you asked.

Demoto glared at you. “I’m IN IT TO WIN IT, Anon.” Her expression softened. “So have a little faith and cheer me on, okay?~”

“Sure. Give ‘em hell.” You said.

Demoto beamed at you and went back to the work on her desk. Her snake tail continued to watch you. Eugh, did this thing even blink?

“Sorry, but Anon has already pledged his support to ME.” Said Voso.

“I haven’t.” you said. “I’m not even worried about this whole fiasco. If one of you wins, great. But I’ve got bigger problems than deciding who to cheer for.”

“You have to hope SOMEONE will win.” Insisted Voso.

“Why?”

“Whoever wins that potion is going to come for you if they like what they taste.” Said Voso.

“Then it looks like I’m off the hook.” You said.

“I’m serious! If they like your mana, it’s almost certain that they’ll try and secure you. And if they do, it won’t be as easy as swatting away the amazons and ogres that have been bothering you so far.” Said Voso.

“And they’ll get beat down by the other students. Just like every other time someone has tried to take a bite out of me.” You said with a shrug.

Voso squirmed and rubbed her ribs where the harpy had kicked her. “That may be true, but if it’s a high-level mage we’re talking about, the other students might not be able to stop her…”

“Then I’ll stop her myself.” You said proudly.

Rhodon snorted and coughed as she tried to keep her composure. Demoto shook her head. Voso gave you a tight-lipped glare.

“You are far and away the most ARROGANT human I’ve ever met, you know that? I’ll say this because I care about you Anon: you don’t stand a CHANCE against the kind of magic I’m talking about.” Said Voso.

“Just let him go, Voso. He’s as good as raped. If I were you, I’d be less worried about him and more concerned with finding a date to his ‘wedding’.” Snickered Rhodon.

Voso grit her teeth and turned back to the front of the room. “Not while I’m still breathing…”

Raigill entered and began collecting the homework you had forgotten about. Surely this competition wasn’t that important. The winner would collect their prize and that would be the end of it. It was a cum-jar for fuck’s sake. Nothing that would give anyone a claim to you. Pacolo would know more about this. You could ask her today. Wetting your quill, you began to scrawl out notes as Raigill began to lecture about the proper way to disarm a tripwire.

~~~~~~

“The contest? Of course I’ve heard of it.” Said Colo. “All my friends in the magic class are entering. In fact, the ignis wanted to know how you felt about heat-play.”

“I’m serious.” You said.

“So am I! I think this might be it for you, no offence. My guess is that you’re going to get wife’d before the Dash even happens.”

You pulled your hood lower as a passing centaur gawked at you. Colo had been adamant that you get “a tour of the Valisias,” so here you were trekking through streets and alleyways filled with sex-criminals and rape-cultists. She had promised that the café wasn’t far, but far probably had a much different meaning to someone who teleported everywhere.

“If I don’t LAST to the Dash the deals off.” You muttered.

“Hey! That wasn’t the agreement. You’re helping me now whether you like it or not.” Said Colo stuffing a fluffy finger in your face. “Otherwise I’ll introduce you to a whole TRIBE of ocelomeh.”

“Oh? Just keep in mind that if you want my help, you’ll have to pry me away from whatever I get married to.” You said.

Colo huffed and floated ahead to look around the corner.

“There it is.” She whispered.

You stood under her. It looked like a normal little café. A small, two-story house/business stuffed snuggly between the two neighboring buildings. The sandwich board sign out front advertised drinks and a few meals you didn’t recognize.

“Alright, let’s go.” You said.

“Wait!” yipped Colo yanking you back by your shoulder.

“What?! What is it?!” you said raising your barriers.

“I’m not ready yet…” said Colo.

“That’s it?!”

“Shut up! If this was easy, I wouldn’t need your help.” Said Colo. She took a deep breath and spun around a few times in the air.  
You leaned back against the brick wall behind you and watched the crowd of monsters slowly grow around you. A lizard man frowned and pointed at you while whispering something to the salamander next to her.

“Pacolo…” you whispered.

“I know! Fine! Calm down!” snapped Colo. “You go in first, and I’ll come in after you. Just watch what I do and then we’ll go back to the Academy to talk about it.” She said.

Fine by you. Sallying forth, you slipped away from the proto-crowd and scuttled across the busy road to the café. A small bell greeted you as you slipped inside.

“Hello, welcome! Please, take a seat anywhere.” Said the man working at the counter.

That must be Guyan. He fit the description Colo had given you. You were about to respond when the door opened behind you and nearly knocked you to the ground.

“Hey!” you said.

Colo’s blanched face looked at you in terror for a second before she retreated through the door and slammed it shut. You took a seat in the corner, away from the other patrons and hid yourself behind a menu. Colo reentered the café after an awkward pause, bright red and trembling in the air.

“Colo! I told you not to prank customers while you’re in here.” Chided Guyan.

Colo grinned. “Aww, you know I can’t help it~” she hovered over to a booth at the other end of the café and began fidgeting in the seat.

He smiled and shook his head. “Sorry about that. I’ve tried everything to get rid of her and she keeps coming back.”

“It’s fine.” You said.

He walked over with his notepad and a piece of charcoal. “So, have you dined with us before? You don’t look family- hey…”

Guyan pulled the menu down a bit to get a better look at your face under the cloak.

“You’re that human, aren’t you! The one that they cracked out of a comet!” said Guyan excitedly.

“Shh!” you clamped his mouth shut with magic. He dropped his pad and tried to claw the magic muzzle off. “I think you have your unsubstantiated gossip mixed up, but yes, I am probably the human you’re referring to. I would ask that you PLEASE not make a scene while I’m just trying to enjoy a day out on the town.” 

Guyan nodded and you let him go.

“I’m sorry, I just never expected someone like you to ever come in here!” he said.

“Whatever you’ve heard about me is probably false. I’m just a normal human.” You said.

“That’s a relief. Everyone said you were a dick.” Said Guyan.

Hey!

“No sir, no dickery here.” You said holding up your hands disarmingly.

He smiled. “Then, can I get you started with anything Mr….”

“Anon.” you said. “Let’s see… I’ll have a… uh…”

Oh, right. You were borderline illiterate. Some of these words made sense, but it looked like this was one of those gourmand cafes with all sorts of novel dishes and unusual takes on the food they served.

“Just a glass of water to start.” You said snapping the menu shut.

Guyan frowned. “Are you sure? Water? We have an excellent fruit cocktail-mead infusion drink that’s been very popular right now.”

“Does it have a lot of alcohol in it?” you asked.

“A fair bit, yes.”

“Then I’ll pass. I uh… Have homework to do when I get home! Can’t get drunk until it’s done.” You said with a chuckle.

“Oh, I see. Perhaps some other time. I’ll bring that water right out.” He said.

You sighed and slumped back into the booth. Better think of something to order fast before he came back.

“What are you doing?!”

Your knees ricocheted off the underside of the table as you started. Colo’s mouth was floating next to your leg, under the table. Some of the other customers glanced in your direction.

“What do you MEAN what am I doing?” you said.

“Shut up! Keep your voice down!” said the mouth. “I MEAN stop hogging Guyan! He’s supposed to be talking to ME!”

You picked up the menu and covered your face again. “Then TALK to him. You haven’t said a word since you got in here.”

“I’m working on it!” snarled Colo.

“… And here we are!” said Guyan returning with a glass of water. Colo’s mouth vanished. “Have you thought about what you want to order?”

“I have a few ideas.” You lied. “But first I just wanted your input: which of these dishes has the least amount of demonic energy?”

Guyan’s brow furrowed. “Pardon?”

“Of all these dishes, which has the least amount of taint in it? The ingredients I mean. Something that if a pure human ate it, wouldn’t turn them into an incubus.” You said.

“I… I’ve never thought about that… give me a moment.”

Guyan disappeared into the kitchen.

“Stop making him run back and forth so much!”

An older succubus shushed you when your legs bounced off the table again. Seizing the falling water glass with your magic, you set it straight as the ice inside clacked against the glass.

“Stop doing that!” you said to the mouth.

“You’re supposed to be getting him to talk to me!”

“He just wants my order!”

“THEN ORDER FASTER!”

The patrons nearest to you whipped their heads around. A troll casually leaned over a bit to see if anyone was under your table. You lifted the menu higher.

“Would you shut u-“ Oh. She was already gone. Colo was staring intently at the wall with her ears flattened against her head. Her slender tail was fully bristled and she was anxiously trying to smooth it back into shape.

“Sorry about that, Dad says he’s never been asked that question either! Looks like the boar medallions over the herb salad with the nuts and fruit reduction is the least corrupted meal we have.” said Guyan.

“Great, I’ll take that.” You said.

“And you’re sticking with water?”

“Yes, thank you.” You smiled.

“Certainly! I’ll put that right in!” said Guyan.

“Oh waiter!~ Come take MY order~” called Colo waving him over. Her signature grin looked a mite less confident now that she was chatting up her crush.

“Yeah, I’m coming. I don’t see why I have to write down what you want every time when you always order the same thing.” Snorted Guyan.  
At least she had the gumption to talk to the guy. Some of the monsters you’d met so far had been less than the seductresses the encyclopedia had made them out to be… One shy succubus had taken two months to attempt to ask you to marry her in Admaz. You gently let her down, and you never saw her again. Actually, Morala losing her mind and trying to get rid of anyone who came into contact with you might have been the explanation for her lack of persistence… Yeesh.

“How was that?”

Your water glass almost slipped out of your hand as you choked out a wet gurgle. Water sprayed across the table. A succubus sighed loudly as you coughed violently into your arm.

“If you do that again I’m LEAVING.” You growled.

“Do what?”

“Just pop into existence next to me! Warn me when you’re about to do that!”

“Stop yelling at me! Were you even listening to what I said to him?” asked Colo.

“No.”

A paw slapped you on the back of your head.

“Pay attention! You’re not here for fun!”

“Ow! Fine! Talk to him again!”

You waited and watched as Guyan served the other customers and talked to Colo. If Guyan was serving customers, Colo would nibble on the side dish she had ordered. When he had time, he’d come sit with her in the booth they were at and chat about how things were in the shop and the classes she was taking. A few times it looked like she was about to say something more, but she always stopped herself before words were said. It wouldn’t be so bad, but the giggling… Oh lord the giggles. Every time Guyan said anything remotely comedic, Colo would giggle. Not the smug Cheshire chuckles you were used to, these were girly giggles of a woman in love. It was a little nauseating seeing this natural-born prankster reduced to a blushing stuttering mess.

“Here’s your order!”

You put away your notes and made room for the food. It looked delicious. The meat was a wonderful shade of pink, and the leaves of whatever vegetable was in the salad were crisp enough to stand at attention.

“Thank you.” You said.

“You weren’t joking, huh? Must be a lot of work.” Said Guyan pointing to your notes.

“It’s a chore to be sure, but what can you do?” you said. A high heel connected with your shin and you winced.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, just a hand cramp.” You said.

“Ah. Let me know if you need anything else!” said Guyan.

You rubbed your shin and glared at Colo.

“Mouth.” Announced Colo’s mouth as she popped into existence next to you.

“I appreciate the warning.” You said carving up one of the medallions and taking a bite.

“Don’t say I’m a chore!” said Colo.

“I didn’t. And you are.” You grumbled.

The mouth pouted. “Are you taking notes?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see!”

“I haven’t translated them back to Common yet.” You said.

“What?!”

“I’ll tell you when we get back. Now shut up and let me enjoy my meal!”

Colo’s mouth huffed and hovered there for a second. Zipping up to your bowl, it snagged a piece of meat and vanished.

“Hey!”

You sat back down in a hurry so as not to further disturb the startled patrons. That bitch. She was paying for this. Come to think of it, you didn’t have any money to begin with. Waving at the cat, you made a talking gesture with your hand.

“What is it?” asked Colo’s mouth between chews of your food.

“I’m broke.”

“What?! Broke?! I thought you were RICH!”

“Why would I be rich?!” you asked.

“You’re a rare human! I thought they dressed people like you in gold briefs! Weren’t you a vampire’s concubine?” asked Colo.

“I was NOT a CONCUBINE. I was a PRISONER. That’s completely beside the point anyways!” you corrected.

“You didn’t swipe ONE valuable thing during your stay there? They didn’t give you a parting gift or anything?” said Colo.

“Uhh… I didn’t leave on the best of terms. And I was in a bit of a hurry…” you said.

“Well I don’t have enough to pay for BOTH of our orders.” Said Colo.

“Can you cover mine? Just pay for what I ordered and bum a meal off Guyan.” You said.

“No! He hates it when I do that!” whined the mouth.

“You’ve done it before?”

Colo’s mouth wobbled. “A few times…”

“How often do you come here?! Fuck… Uhh…”

You wracked your brain for ways to weasel out of paying. Dine and dash was a no-go; EVERYONE knew who you were (even if WHAT you were was still a matter of contention) and apparently you were already a world-renowned dick. Selling your signature? If you autographed a napkin or something they could hang it up on the wall. But wait, could demons use that? You imagined Voso showing up with a piece of torn napkin stapled to a thirty-page contract. Not worth the risk. Maybe they’d just have you work for them for a bit. Washing dishes wouldn’t be so bad. Unless they were smart and decided to use you to attract customers. Attracting attention in a city full of rapists was the LAST thing you needed. Chances are if they put you out front with a sign, the monsters visiting the café would be coming for a ‘different’ kind of buffet.

You imagined yourself getting tackled and pinned down in a hamburger suit as a horde of orcs took turns brutalizing your pelvis and making awful sandwich puns.

No! Guyan looked like an understanding guy. Surely he would understand.

“Fine. Just cover your tab and I’ll think of something…” you said.

Guyan returned with a slip of paper.

“Guyan, about the bill…” you began.

He smiled. “Oh, wow! You know my name!” 

“Huh?”

“I don’t think I ever introduced myself to you. Sorry about that. Looks like you already knew who I was though.” He said with a chuckle. “Did someone tell you about this place?”

“Yes, it was recommended to me by a friend. They also mentioned your name when they were describing this place.” You said.  
“Well, you’ll have to pass along my gratitude.” Beamed Guyan.

“Will do. Now about the bill…”

“Certainly. I can see you’re a busy man so I won’t waste any more of your time. This is exactly enough to cover it.” Said Guyan scraping a small stack of coins into his hand.

You stared at the money. How did it get there?

“Is something wrong?” asked Guyan.

“N-no. Thank you. It was delicious.” You said with a smile.

Guyan took away your plate and utensils. Once he was gone you looked over at Colo. She was looking at the wall with her arms folded tightly across her chest. Guyan came over and started talking to her. He sighed loudly and Colo cowered as she pushed a few coins his way.

“How many times do I have to tell you: you can’t just come in here and mooch food. I have a business to run!” said Guyan.

“I-I’m sorry… I…” Colo tried to choke out a guilty response. 

Time to move.  
“Colo! Hey! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here.” You said approaching the booth.

Guyan cocked an eyebrow. Poor Colo looked like she was about to cry from embarrassment and dejection at the same time.

“You know her?” asked Guyan.

“Of course! She’s in my magic class. She recommended this place to me.” You said.

“Is that so…” Said Guyan.

He looked down at Colo, who was staring a hole through the table.

“I’ll let you off the hook today since you brought in a PAYING customer…” Said Guyan. Colo flinched at the word. “But from now on I expect you to pay me what you owe. I know we’ve been friends for years, but I can’t afford to have you taking advantage of me all the time.”

Colo nodded vigorously.

Guyan sighed. “What am I going to do with you… Be careful around her, sir. She’s a tricky one.”

“You love my tricks.” Said Colo as she regained some of her composure.

“I’d like it even more if you payed me what you owe.” Said Guyan smacking her head with a menu.

“Harder~” giggled Colo.

Guyan snorted and shook his head.

“Anyways, I hope I’ll see you again Anon.” said Guyan.

“I think I’ll be back. Though I might have to get a job to buy another meal here.” You joked.

“Maybe not.” Said Guyan. That glint in his eyes couldn’t be good.

“What do you mean?” you asked tentatively.

“You’re single right?” asked Guyan.

“…I don’t like where this is going…”

“No, no, no! It’s nothing like what you’re thinking! Listen, you’re a relatively famous character. If you were to dine here regularly, it might attract some more customers.” Said Guyan with a shrug.

“That’s EXACTLY what I was thinking.” You said folding your arms.

“Oh. Are you sure?”

“Ideally I wouldn’t be used as live bait to coerce rapists into visiting your shop in hopes of molesting me, no.” you said.

“You wouldn’t be raped, you big baby.” Said Guyan with a supercilious smirk. “This isn’t some beer swilling tavern, it’s a café. The clientele we attract are all refined and sophisticated. I swear!”

“You misunderstand me. It’s not that I am asking to be tenderly raped as opposed to savagely raped, I’m asking to not be raped at all.” You said.

“I PROMISE you will not be raped.” Said Guyan.

“Oh yeah? And how do you intend to keep that promise? Smack a monster with a broom when they start tearing through my pants?” you said raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve dealt with enough monsters in my life.” Puffed Guyan. “I can handle them. If not, I’ll just get mom to step in.”

“You’re going to get your poor old mother to step in?” you asked incredulously.

“Guyan, who’s this punk and why’s he callin’ me old?”

You turned around nearly wound up in the cleavage of a massive lizard woman. Her body was absolutely coated in scars and wounds. Even for Valisias standards she was big.

“You’re… she’s your…” you looked between the mountain of scales and Guyan trying to piece together what happened.

“I turned after I had him.” Said the lizard woman.

“O-oh.” You said.

“I heard the gist of what’s happening. This priss is too much of an alp to sit here and eat my food, yeah?” said the woman leering down at you.

“He thinks he’s gonna get raped, ma.” Said Guyan.

“Hora, I can see why. Look at this spineless nit. I’m surprised he worked up the courage to leave his bed.”

“Hey!”

The lizard woman squatted down a bit to look you in the eye. “Just come in, shut up, and eat the food, eye candy. I’d better see you back here.” She said jabbing a claw into your chest.

With her ultimatum given, she slunk back into the kitchen.

“You don’t have to come back if you don’t want to. I know mom can be a little pushy.” Said Guyan.

“I see…” you said watching the kitchen door.

“But keep us in mind! Free meals, any time you want!” said Guyan slapping you on the back.

“Free?” you asked, turning back to Guyan.

“Free.”

“Are you sure you can afford that?” you asked sarcastically.

“Yeah, you’re pretty scrawny so I don’t think you’ll put a dent in our finances.” Said Guyan confidently.

Fucker…

“Keep in mind, if you bulk up a little, it will be harder for monsters to carry you off. Especially harpies.” Said Guyan.

“Right… Well, I must be off. Good meeting you, Guyan.” You said with a nod.

“Take her with you.” Said Guyan pointing a thumb at Colo.

“How come HE gets free meals?” pouted Colo.

“Because HE is going to contribute to my business.” Said Guyan.

“HE never agreed to that.” You said over your shoulder.

“Colo, bring him back some time.” Whispered Guyan.

“Food.” Said Colo smugly.

“Fine. One free drink.”

“That isn’t food!”

“No, but it’s all you’ll get. Now scram.” Said Guyan.

Colo hovered out the door behind you. Pulling your cloak lower over your face, you walked briskly back towards the dorms. Being on the streets after dark was a death sentence.

“Anon! Lemme see the notes!” said Colo floating above you.

“I told you, they aren’t translated.” You said handing her the book.

She thumbed through a few pages before dropping it back down to you. “Your language is an eyesore, you know that?”

“What?”

“All the symbols look the same! There’s no grace to it. It’s too uniform and orderly.” She said sticking her tongue out.

“Maybe to a wonderland girl. I like my language just fine.” You said.

“Whatever. Start reading.”

Colo stood on your head as you cracked open the book.

“Hey! Get your shoes off my hood!”

“Relax, you prude. They never touch the ground.”

You sighed and started reading as the Cheshire remained comically perched on your head, standing straight up and down as she listened to the observations you had made.

~~~~~

“And that’s it.” You said snapping the book shut.

Colo hopped off your head and lounged in the air on her back. “You said I needed to flirt less and tell him how I feel?”

“Yes, I think that is not only painfully obvious but the natural thing to do in this situation. Remind me again why a succubus couldn’t have told you all this?”

“They DID!” moaned Colo. “But they never said HOW.”

“Just-“

“I CAN’T! I can’t JUST tell him! I’ve tried! It doesn’t work!” said Colo as she flailed about.

You yawned as Colo continued her air tantrum. That meal you had eaten in the café might not have had too much mana in it, but it was enough to make your stomach upset. All you wanted now was to sleep off the magical indigestion.

“We’ll think of things for you to say another time. I’m going to bed.” You said.

“When do you want to go again?” asked Colo.

“I want to be barricaded in my room during this stupid tournament, but we can go some other day.” You said.

“We’ll go the day after the contest!” said Colo.

“Fine. Goodnight.” You said.

On the way to your room you ran into Decara leaning up against a wall.

“Anon! There you are. We got a lead.” She said.

“Someone else who wants to help me during the Dash?” you asked.

“Yeah. A weresheep who’s worried she won’t be able to contest her man. She’s already waiting for us.”

A weresheep huh? Not quite the muscle you were looking for, but maybe you could use her wool to make a trap.

The other succubi were waiting with a nervous looking sheep-girl at the doorway to the dorms. When she saw you, her eyes brightened.

“Anon! Thank goodness. I really didn’t want to have to do this, but I overheard some of the older girls talking about my Pabs today. I told them he’s mine and they just laughed and said that I could have him when they were finished with him. I don’t want to share him!” cried the sheep.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get him. Do you know which room he’s in? I don’t know the name off the top of my head, so he’s probably on the first floor.” You said.

All of you jumped as a massive arrow landed in the wall with a sharp crack. Bolstering your barrier, you stuffed all the girls into the bubble.

“Oh Anon, how chivalrous~” cooed the bantubuss.

“Shut up, this is serious.” You whispered.

“Making another EXCEPTION, are we?”

Rhodon appeared out of the darkness. “Tut tut, Anon. You should know better.”

“I’m not breaking any rules. A guy can let monsters into the dorms before the Dash.” You said.

Rhodon sneered. “True, but I and a few other girls are a bit ‘upset’ about your liberal interpretation of that rule.”

“I hear if you file a report in triplicate you can meet with Maranth to bitch about it.” You said.

“I think we’d rather take it up with you in person…”

More monsters sauntered out of the dark to stand behind Rhodon. The ground shook as an oni jumped off the roof and landed next to you. She gave you a crazed look through the barrier and went to join the others. How did she get up there?

The last of the monsters fell into place, at the very edge of the light cast by the lamps on either side of the dorm’s doors.

“As you can see, I’ve been doing some campaigning of my own.” Said Rhodon gesturing to the crowd behind her.

Amazons, ocelomehs, oni, manticore, ogre, werewolves, werebats, orcs, arachne, dark elves… Clearly there was a unifying theme here.

“You see, we’ve all come to the agreement that you’ve overstepped your bounds at Valisias Academy. Using that loophole to get those succubi into the dorm, having to rely on mommy Maranth for protection after mouthing off to us, humiliating students with underhanded tactics during practice… All of that would be forgivable if it weren’t for that UNBEARABLE ARROGANCE.”

Rhodon’s eyes bulged as she screamed the last sentence. She began to walk towards your bubble.

“THAT is your most EGREGIOUS sin, Anon. We all know humans are stupid. They’re weak. They grow up on their farms, or in their little cities and they think that they can arm wrestle a dragon ‘cause they’re strong compared to the other pissant humans.” Shrugged Rhodon.  
“And we accept that. We love our frail, clumsy husbands in spite of it. Because we TEACH THEM, Anon. We SHOW THEM that a human is NOTHING compared to a monster. And you know what?”

Rhodon spread her arms wide and twisted her head to the side. Her wide eyes were still transfixed on you.

“They LOVE US for teaching them that a man is good for nothing but pleasing his wife.”

She reached your barrier and pressed herself against it. Her splayed arms pressed into it like she was trying to give you a hug. Pressing her cheek against the magic, Rhodon closed her eyes and hummed.

“Mmm~… I wish you could see it, Anon. How HAPPY they are once they free themselves of the foolish notion that they can resist a monster. That moment of euphoria as they realize how futile it is; that the only thing they need to do, the only thing they CAN do is to be swept away in a river of pleasure.

But YOU…”

Her eyes shot open and she pounded on the barrier with her fist. The muscles in her jaw strained as she bared her teeth.

“You INSIST on denying your place. You DON’T- UNDER- STAND…” shouted Rhodon pounding the wall with each syllable. “…that a human’s place is BENEATH HIS WIFE! You spit in the eye of the natural order, and think yourself impervious to any consequence of your PETULANCE.”

Rhodon panted and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes.

“…So, we decided that you needed to be taught a lesson.” Said Rhodon walking backwards away from the bubble. “We came to an agreement that if no one else was going to address this MADNESS, that we would take matters into our own hands. When the Dorm Dash happens, we are going to carve a path rrrright to your room. And no one is going to stop us. Do you know why?”

You tried to keep a stoic face, but you couldn’t keep yourself from loudly swallowing the lump in your throat.

“Because all the monsters agree with us. Even if they don’t say it. The ALL agree that you’ve taken advantage of our patience. And if any of them decide to get heroic and save the demoiselle in distress? We’ll hack them to pieces and have them watch as we take turns with you.” Said Rhodon running her hands over her whip. “If I were you, I wouldn’t bother with any magic when we show up; you’re going to need ALL the energy you have for what we’re going to do with you.” 

“He can fight if he wants! It’s better when they struggle!” called one of the monsters from the back. The pack chuckled.

“True enough. You might as well struggle. We’ve all agreed that no matter how much you cry, no matter how much you plead, and beg, and scream… we won’t give you a SECOND of rest.” cackled Rhodon.

The weresheep clung tightly to your waist. Stop that you little bastard, I can’t get sleepy right now…

“NO MATTER WHAT, you’re going to be RAPED. Raped so HARD and for SO LONG that they’ll tell stories about it for generations. And NOTHING can stop it. We don’t want bargains. We don’t want apologies. We don’t want you to beg. We just want your PENITENCE. And we’ll have it! One thrust at a time…”

Rhodon shudder and licked her lips. A trickle of juice flowed down her leg. Fucking dark elves.

“Ahh… Listen to me ramble. I’m getting ahead of myself. You’ll learn the lesson when we teach it to you. For now, stop letting girls into the dorms or we’ll fucking destroy them. Have a good sleep Anon~”

The pack slowly retreated into the darkness.

“Oh! Don’t forget the promise I made that night I broke into your room.” Winked Rhodon rubbing her thighs.

Her silver hair shimmered for a moment in the moonlight and vanished.

You stood there with your barrier, the monsters you had hired to protect you huddling behind you.

“Anon…”

Decara’s voice pulled you out of your trance.

“I think you can put the barrier down now.”

You dissipated the wall and gasped. How long had you been holding your breath?

“I’m sorry!” bleated the weresheep. She scurried off to her own dorm.

“Holy shit, Anon. What are you going to do?” asked the snarky succ.

“Just marry someone! I know it may not be what you want, but it’s better than what they’d do to you.” Implored the motherly one.

“Yeah! It can even be a girl from that mob. They say that they’d share you, but there’s got to be at least one of them who’s greedy enough to take you for herself.” Said Decara.

To hell with that! A choice between rapists was no choice at all. Some of these girls were up there on your list of favorite species. Hell, there were some mamono here in your top twenty. But none of the girls you had met were any that you’d like to marry. 

Maybe it was time to skip town. You just weren’t cut out for the grueling life of an adventurer. That did pose the perplexing conundrum of how to actually LEAVE the city. On foot and you would be hunted down and raped. Getting a ride on a river boat was an option, but you had no idea where the river went, what cities were downstream, and if the river mamono would even let you pass. To top it all off, you were also flat broke. The only way you could come up with enough cash to smuggle yourself out of Valisias before the Dash was to make more spirit supplement.

“That unicorn I mentioned once is still single, you know!” said the motherly succubus.

No! What were you thinking!? Learning how to defend yourself against impossible odds was the whole reason you came to Valisias Academy in the first place!

“I’m going to fight them.”

The succubi stopped mid-sentence to gawk at you.

“Did- did you say ‘fight’?”

“Anon, that’s a bad idea.”

“A REALLY bad idea.” Insisted the dumb succubus.

“Sorry to break it to you, but you don’t stand a chance. They’ve got magic users. This time, throwing a tantrum and chucking people around isn’t going to cut it.” Said the quiet succubus.

“I can beat them.” You asserted.

They looked at each other.

“I think you need some sleep. Come find us first thing in the morning, and we’ll help you come up with a plan, okay?” said Decara.

They helped you to your feet and pushed you through the door.

What was it that Rhodon said? ‘Nothing could stop them?’

No. It wasn’t over yet. 

Not by a longshot…


	36. Chapter 36

“Are you excited, Anon?” asked Decara.

“No.”

“Come ooonnn! You have to be a LITTLE enthused about the competition.”

“Not even remotely.” You said slurping up another bite of oatmeal. “I hope whoever wins that potion spills it.”

“You’re just anxious someone you hate will win.” Said the smugcubuss.

“That’s not saying much. Not like I have anyone to root for…”

“What about that sweet demon girl?” asked the motherly succubus.

“Which one?” you asked.

“The one with the knives.”

“Her name’s Voso.” Said Decara.

You shook your head. “No.”

“Really? Why not?” asked the dumb succ.

“She’s always so cordial when she talks to us.” Said the motherly succ.

“I didn’t really get a rapist vibe from her, and I should know.” Said Brez.

“Really? ‘Cause I got a rapist vibe when she tried to charm me in broad daylight.” You said.

The succubi groaned.

“What a baby. I’d like to know where humans in your world get off complaining about being seduced by a beautiful woman.” Said the smug succubus brandishing her spoon at you.

“Voso is a nice girl, Anon. I think you could do a lot worse than to marry her.”

“She really cares about you, you know.”

“How do you all know so much about her? Just how much does she talk to you lot anyways?” you said.

They shifted uncomfortably.

“Not TOO often. She chats with us every few days.”

“She’s never overstepped her bounds, either. Never asks about anything nefarious if you were worried.”

“I don’t mind things like that. If she was asking all sorts of personal questions about me, then I’d be worried.” You said.

“Oh! She does! Where you hang out, what your hobbies are, what books you like to read, your favorite foods… Hah! You could probably write a biography with all the stuff we’ve told her.” Chuckled the dumb succubus.

You stared at her. A gob of oats slid off your spoon and into your bowl.

“Shit… Here it comes.” Muttered the smug one, resting her face on her hand.

“You’ve been feeding information to Voso? The monster who’s come closest to raping me?” you asked slowly.

“I told you, it was nothing bad! You’re the one who’s always going on about how you want a relationship based on ‘mutual affection.’ Now you’re getting pissy because we tried to help Voso court you in a traditional human way.” Said the motherly succ.

She had you there. You had actually been going considering the girls at the Academy in case the worst came to pass. No way in hell you were going to be caught by Rhodon and her lackeys if you could help it, and there weren’t many other monsters that had caught your interest. Demoto was a touch sporadic, but at least she appreciated you. Voso was up there at the top, even in spite of her attempt on your penis. She HAD hucked a knife into Rhodon, which more than absolved her in your eyes. If you were going down, you were going down tenderly. You grinned at the thought of Rhodon bursting into your room, only to find you snuggling with Voso. That would show them.

“We’re talking about the person who I’ll be spending the rest of my life with.” You retorted. “I can’t just rush this.”

“See, there you go thinking like a human again.” Said the smug one. “I’ve never heard of a man who didn’t love his wife. Not in mamono territory at least. Order territory is a different story.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is!” insisted the motherly succ.

“Not to me it isn’t!” you snapped back. “I’m going to class.”

Ignoring the indignant huffs of the succubi, you strode out into the hall and began talking down the amazon that was trying to buy your hand in marriage for a dowry of cows. Again…

~~~~~~

“That man! I just don’t understand him…” said the motherly succ, watching Anon leave.

“With that attitude? Sometimes I wonder what the others see in him…” said Decara.

“Oh ho ho! I’ll tell you what I see: primo rape-bait. It’s like an atlach-nacha got reincarnated as a guy! You ask me, he’s doing all this on purpose. Just WAITING for someone strong enough to put him in his place.” Said the smug succubus.

“He’s clearly waiting for someone…” Said Decara.

“Or something.” Chimed the dumb succ.

“SomeTHING? Like what?” asked the motherly succ.

“Uh… I don’t know, a human thing I suppose. If he isn’t interested in anyone here, he must be interested in something else!” said the dumb one.  
“Unless he’s interested in someone who ISN’T here.” Said Brez.

“What do you mean?” asked Decara.

“Call it a hunch, but I think he’s weighing his options. The other day he asked me a couple of questions about the world, and a few species. If I’d ever seen an ushi-oni, how far away was Zipangu, was the Mist Continent really as savage as he had heard… I think he’s trying to sus out a wedding venue, if you catch my drift.”

“You think he’s trying to narrow down his candidates by species?” asked the smug succ in a hushed tone.”

Brez looked solemnly at his plate. “I think he already has.”

~~~~~

“…Which led to the passing of the treaty and the union of the two empires. Not that any of you care…” Said Raigill putting down her chalk.

The normally rambunctious class was now absolutely obstreperous. Everyone was talking about the tournament. Some of it was conjecture over who would win, but only the more magic savvy monsters were actually formulating theories for determining the victor instead of rooting for their friends. A few others were discussing the implications of the win, and if the champion would claim you or not.  
And the vast majority was betting. Slips of paper were being passed back and forth across a jeering circle at an alarming rate. From the sound of it, everything from money to favors were being put up. This was even more worrisome than the betting itself. There were only a select few mamono of noble decent that actually had the capital to back these bets up. Most of the Academy spent any money they came across on food just as quickly as they earned it. And promises to complete another person’s homework was a tantalizing proposition at face value, until you remembered that half the class was incapable of completing their work under NORMAL circumstances. Surely the impending bet-debt-bubble and grade-crash would cause more drama than the competition itself. 

Your mouth creased involuntarily as you overheard a goblin bet a semester’s worth of homework with an imp. Times like these made you REALLY miss Admaz…

“Hey Anon, do YOU want to make a bet?~” asked Voso.

“With what stakes?” you asked.

“A date!” exclaimed Voso clasping her hands together.

“A date.”

“Yeah! Come on, it’ll be fun!” insisted Voso.

You decided to humor her. “And what exactly are you betting on?”

“I bet that I’m going to win the competition today.” Declared Voso.

Hah! Easy money. Voso was strong, but she couldn’t hold a candle to the other competitors.

“Alright, but if you don’t win, I get fifty gold.” You said.

“Deal!” She said thrusting her hand towards you. She really was picking up on Earth customs.

Her willingness to accept your terms was a bit foreboding. Where was all this confidence coming from?

“When you say date, I hope you know that means no sex or marriage.” You said.

Voso rolled her eyes and gave a sharp tut. “Fine. But I am groping you a bit.”

“Voso.”

“You won’t change my mind about that.” Said Voso sternly. Whatever. You really needed that gold. Poverty fucking sucks. Relenting to her intransigence, you shook her hand. A wisp of purple flame enveloped your hands for a second before traveling up your arms into your bodies. You shivered. Somehow you knew that whatever magic was used to form the contract had wormed its way into your very soul.

“I hope you have something nice to wear~” said Voso licking her lips.

“NOT FAIR!” shouted Demoto, pounding her desk. “I WANT TO make a contract too, you know.” Said the chimera with a pout.

“You can have the same deal.” You said.

“YEAH! I’LL KILL ‘EL ALL! Gently. Just for you, Anon~” said Demoto with a wry smile. Her handshake was less magical than Voso’s, but she did take extra care to caress every inch of your hand with her fluffy paw.

Maybe this competition wouldn’t be so bad after all. Kick back, relax, do some homework while these yahoos slugged it out, and collect your winnings tomorrow morning. Easy.

“Anon! Make a bet with me too!”

You looked at the lamia behind you. “No.”

“What? Why not?”

“I don’t know who you are. Wait a minute, are you even IN the magic class?”

“Err… Technically no, but we can still bet anyways! I’ll bet on Voso as well. If you’re already expecting to win the bet with her, it makes sense to let me make a bet on the same circumstances, yeah?” said the lamia.

Typical rouge with her fast-talking bullshit.

“True, I may be betting against Voso, but I’m guessing that you’re not going to wager a date with her.” You said.

“This is actually a better deal for you than a whole date. Real quick, no pain, no marriage either.” Said the lamia.

“Spit it out.” You said.

“If Voso wins, just let me squeeze you a little bit.” Said the lamia. She wiggled her tail for emphasis.

“Pass.”

“It’ll feel good! I promise! Just a few minutes! I’ll even cut the time in half if you moan and squirm a bit while you’re in there!” pleaded the lamia. “It doesn’t even have to be a minute! A pitiful face looking up at me and a little bit of mewling is all I ask!”

You hunched over your notes and desperately tried to ignore the snake tantrum behind you. Voso’s tail was swishing back and forth listlessly as she stared into space.

~~~~~

“Anon, can I come in?”

You scrambled to stow your work away in your desk before you remembered that none of the mamono could read it anyways. Tossing the chalk into a drawer, you kicked your floor rug over a half finished magic circle and opened the door.

“There you are!” said Maranth. I was wondering where you had run off to. Come on, the competition is starting soon.” Said the valkyrie grabbing your hand and dragging you away.

“I can watch from my window.” You said.

“Nonsense! Not when you’re so “invested” already! And hurry up! I want to make sure the costume fits you.”

“Costume?!”

“I had an arachne weave you something.” Said Maranth. She was practically running now. You had never seen her so excited.

“I think I’ll stick to what I’m wearing.” You panted.

She squeezed your wrist and gave you an admonitory leer. “I PAID for those shorts, and you ARE going to wear them.”

“Shorts?!” you wheezed.

Maranth dragged you towards one of the arenas. There were a few scattered throughout the training field, but all of them were much shorter than the Colosseum. Hauling you inside and down the stairs to the male dressing room, Maranth ignored the cries of the other men and opened a locker.

“Here you go, put this on.” Said Maranth pulling your clothes out of the locker.

Your mouth inadvertently hung open in shock.

“No.” you said recoiling from the outfit.

Maranth’s jubilation subsided a little bit. “Anon, I’ve pulled a LOT of strings to keep you safe and to get you into Valisias Academy in the first place. I know it may seem like I’m asking too much of you, but this is the most fun I’ve had in years. If you could just wear this, just for today, it would mean so much to me.” 

She gave you the same collected and confident grin she had given you when she finally accepted you into the Academy.

“Maranth…” you said quietly.

She nodded and handed you the clothes.

“There’s no way I’m wearing that.” You said shoving the uniform back at her.

Maranth’s eye twitched. Her hand shot out and latched onto your collar before you could react. “Either you wear this, or I cut your clothes off and send you up their naked.” She said.

Her free hand slowly reached down to the pommel of her sword.

“Fine! You, crazy bitch.” You said pushing away from her. Seizing the bundle of cloth out of her hand, you did your best to ignore her smug smile as you marched into one of the changing stalls.

~~~~~

“Maranth, where’s the rest of it?” you asked.

“Hmm?”

“This is only the underwear, where’s the rest of the costume?” you asked.

“You’re wearing the shorts and the top?” asked Maranth with feigned apathy. She was trying hard not to laugh.

“Yes.”

“That’s it. Now come out, let me see!” said Maranth.

You swore and crept out of the stall. Short shorts and a tank-top that only reached the bottom of your sternum, both EXTREMELY snug. The inseam on the shorts was so tight that you had to walk with your toes out to prevent your junk from being smothered. The ass of the shorts had been embroidered with Common symbols that roughly translated into “up for grabs”. The double entendre still held up even in this world it would seem. 

“Oh… My… Eros…” said Maranth softly. She thrust a finger at you and collapsed onto a nearby bench in a fit of hysterics.

“Ahhahahaha! Oh, it’s PERFECT! It came out even better than I expected!” she wheezed. You glared at her.

After Maranth had collected herself a bit she sat up on the bench and wiped one of her eyes.

“Did the back” she snickered and held up a hand to pause the conversation while she laughed again. Taking a deep breath she looked up at you. “Did the back come out alright?”

You started to turn, but Maranth swiveled you around by your hips. The dark valkyrie shrieked with laughter again and gently pushed you away.

“Oh it’s too GOOD! Gods, what an investment! She really outdid herself.” Said Maranth wiping her nose and eyes.

“PLEASE tell me that I’m not going to be a {cheerleader} for this circus.” You said.

Maranth chuckled and stood up. “I’m not sure what that is, but you’re going to be some eye candy that comes out between rounds and announces the next contenders, maybe give a few advertisements, and generally do anything I tell you while shaking your ass.” 

“So I’m a {ring girl}” 

“You can be whatever you want, as long as it’s sexy.” Said Maranth ruffling your hair. She pulled out an herb cigarette and lit it. Blowing the smoke your way, she chuckled to herself one last time and shook her head. “They are going to RUIN you during the Dash. Come on, let’s go to the box.” Said Maranth waving you to follow.

No sense in arguing with her. Maranth was not the type of person to make idle threats. Practically naked was better than naked after all.

“I’ll get through the Dash just fine.” You said.

“Uh huh.” Grunted Maranth.

“I’m not as fragile as you think.” You said.

“That’s not saying much.” Said Maranth.

You grit your teeth. “I may not be able to stand up to all of them, but if I do have to fight them you’d better believe that I’ll give as good as I get.”

“That’s a terrible choice of words. You really haven’t learned a thing have you? Still strutting around, trying to pick fights you can’t win. Damn!” You jolted as Maranth pounded a fist onto her palm. “I messed up. I should have put “I bite” on the ass instead. Now THAT would have been funny.”

Maranth led you up a final flight of stairs into the sunlight. Unlike the rest of the seating in the arena, the spectator’s box you were in had a cloth awning for shade and proper seats. Maranth’s husband was already seated in one of the chairs. Maranth kissed him and sat down next to him on the loveseat. You looked around at the other couples in the box. Raigill and her husband were here too. Zara and her husband were sitting quietly in their own loveseat; her sitting on his lap with his dick resting inside her.

“Sit anywhere you like, Anon. Just don’t get too comfy. You’ll be down in the dust after every round to hold up the match cards.” Said Maranth. “That staircase on your left goes down to the field. I got a leana sidhe and her husband from town to paint as the competition goes on. All you have to do is walk out there, wiggle your ass a bit while you wave whatever the fairy hands you, and come back here. If you do a good job, I’ll even buy you snacks from the vendor.”

“How magnanimous of you…” you muttered, taking a seat on one of the stone chairs.

The arena was filling up fast. It looked like most of the student body was here. Some townies as well, but they were relegated to certain sections. Some vendors were already haggling with the eager spectators over the price of their delicious, artery clogging commodities.

“Anon, take one.” Said Maranth handing you a slip of paper.

“A roster of everyone who entered. And the odds for them winning.”

“How many people entered this thing?!” you asked.

“About five-hundred.” Said Maranth.

“Five-hundred?! We’ll be here for a month!” you said.

“Don’t worry.” Said Maranth with a dismissive wave. “The Academy’s staff have trained these kids long enough to know who stands to win this and who’s just showing up for the sake of saying they entered. The first events are fifty on fifty battles that only the weaklings take part in.”

“Team fights, huh? That doesn’t sound like the one-on-one combat that I’ve come to expect from Valisias. And fifty at a time? That’s still going to take ages.”

“Ahh, but that’s where you’re wrong! You see, if you get taken out in one of these preliminary rounds, you’re out no matter what team you were on.” Said Maranth.

“If you go down, you’re out?” you said.

“Mm hmm.”

“What if there’s friendly fire?” you asked.

Maranth sneered. “What if indeed Anon…”

You frowned. “That’s just a free-for-all!” you said.

“No, the competitors coincidentally betray each other every time. It’s THEIR fault, not mine. I guess team spirit is lacking in Valisias…” said Maranth with an exaggerated pout.

Oh well, at least it would be an impressive opening act.

“This mess will be sorted out in a few rounds, then we get to the REAL competition.” Said Maranth. She waved over a vendor and bought some kind of kebab and a cup of wine. “Do you want any?”

“I’ll take some food, sure.” you said. It looked safe enough.

The salamander vendor handed you a kebab. It was perfectly cooked, but a little too spicy for your taste. The crowds continued to pour in until the arena was filled.

“Looks like we’re about ready to start. Go find the leana.” Said Maranth.

You pushed open a waist-high gate in the side of the booth and descended the private staircase that led to the arena’s floor. Sure enough, a man and a fairy were busy painting the first sign of the day.

“Hello, Anon!” exclaimed the tiny woman. “Here’s the first card, what do you think?”

It looked like a normal title card to you. ROUND 1: TEAM ELIMINATION.

“Looks great.” You said taking the sign.

The fairy sighed in relief. “I’m so glad you love it! I really think that the red paint catches the eye. Hubby here wanted to go with an eggshell background, but it’s a good thing I was here to convince him cream was the right way to go.”

“Eggshell is a FAR more refined shade.” Said the man.

“CREAM is a more PASSIONATE shade. And this is a PASSIONATE event.” Said the tiny woman, jabbing his cheek with the butt of her paint brush.

“Monsters and humans!” boomed a voice above you. Maranth had started to address the audience. “Today we gather to bear witness to the proud sorceresses of Valisias Academy as they do battle for fame, prestige, and this bottle of a mysterious human’s refined essence!”  
The monsters in the audience cheered.

“So go forth, you young apprentices! Give your all and leave nothing behind! Even an once of repressed effort will lead to regret!” said Maranth. “And for those of you who find magical battles tedious, for those of you who are of the martial mindset, I have taken special care to entertain even you! Feast your eyes on the man who made all this possible: Anon!”

The roar of the crowd was so loud that it shook the walls of the stadium. Feet stomped in appreciation and anticipation.

“That’s your cue, Anon!” said the leana.

“Huh?”

Before you could explain to the fairy that you were only here to lift a few signs, she flew over to the gate leading to the arena and undid the latch. Her husband shoved you from behind and you staggered out into the dusty circle of death.

Shrill whistles and whooping hoots echoed through the stadium, accompanied by raucous laughter. You could tell that most monsters were cat-calling or mocking you. Thankfully, you couldn’t make out what anyone was saying over the din.

“There he is folks! Isn’t he a treat? Still single, just so you all know.” Said Maranth, now amplifying her voice with magic.

You glared up at her. It was impossible to prevent yourself from blushing. The shame of it all! Touted around like this. Maranth giggled and waggled her fingers at you.

“And now, Anon will commence the tournament!” said Maranth.

The monsters quickly hushed. Sweat started to form on your brow. What the hell was Maranth talking about?! Why was everyone so quiet now?

“That means you just say something like “let the tournament begin!”, Anon.” said Maranth.

The crowd chuckled.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “L-let the competition begin!”

The monsters renewed their chorus of yawps and hollers. You kept your eyes down (making eye contact tended to send the wrong message in Valisias) and slunk back into the staircase.

“That was wonderful, Anon! Very cute! I’m sure you’ll attract a wife in no time wearing that!” said the leana.

You just grunted and climbed back up to the box with Maranth and the rest.

“Don’t get too comfy. First event starts in less than a minute.” Said Maranth as you approached your chair.

You sighed.

“Great work out there, champ! Too mad you’re one for one with botched lines.”

You almost fell over the stone chair you were standing behind as Pacolo appeared behind you. She snickered and took another bite of one of the many snacks she was carrying. It looks like she had visited every vendor in the stadium already. No wonder she was so broke…

“What the hell are you doing here?!” you demanded.

“Just chilling. This is the only place with shade, you know.” Said Colo taking a sip of wine from a small bottle.

“This is a private box! Maranth, get her out of here!” you said.

“Nah.” Said the valk.

“What?!”

“She’s not bothering anyone. Besides you, that is. Which is pretty entertaining. You’re not after Anon, right?” said Maranth.

“Nah.” Said Colo with a burp.

“See? She’s harmless. Now get down there, first match starts soon.” Said Maranth waving you down the stairs. You grumbled and started back down the steps.

“Anon, wait!” shouted Colo.

You looked back at her.

“Make sure you pull those shorts out of your asscrack. We can’t read the words when you have a wedgie.”

Colo vanished as you blasted the space where she had just been with magic. A few monsters screamed as the bolt seared a hole in the awning. Whoops…

“Here you go, Anon!” said the leana. Her husband handed you the sign for the first round and you stepped out into the arena again.  
The two teams had assembled at either end of the ovular battlefield. Red team on one side, blue on the other. Dozens of monsters comprising dozens of species all eyed their opponents with steely intent. You nervously walked out into center of the arena and held up your sign. Swiveling around once, you made sure that everyone got a glimpse of the text and hurried back to your safe-haven. A centaur dumped her bucket of popcorn on you from above as you were about to enter the stairs.

“Smile damnit! Boys are cutest when they smile!”

“Swing your hips when you walk, too! Eros gave you those hips for a reason.” interjected a werewolf. The rest of her pack cackled and nodded in agreement.

You kept your disgust hidden as best you could and ditched the sign on the ground next to the artists. Adjusting your shorts a bit, you plopped down into your seat. Seriously, did that spider make these ride up so much on purpose? Maranth was standing at the front of the box.

“BEGIN!” she bellowed.

Both teams wasted no time launching the first barrage of magic towards each other. Maranth’s hair flew back as the shockwave threatened to tear the awning off the box. You shielded your eyes from the wind and dust. Screams and zaps echoed through the stadium as the crowd cheered. Coughing, you used your magic to clear the air around your face. What the hell was even happening down there?

Chaos.

You had expected an organized, tactic oriented fight that would devolve into a free-for-all AFTER one team had come out on top. Instead, each team had broken into dozens of small groups that were picking off individual members of the other team. You watched as an amazon from the red team flattened a blue succubus with a punch, only to be laid out by two other blue team monsters. Wait, weren’t martial arts banned? Apparently not, given how many monsters were brawling each other without any inkling of magic. You doubted that Maranth really cared either way. And it wasn’t as if there were any referees to stop the fight.

The whole round took two minutes. Tops. Most of the monsters had been flattened against the wall in the initial blast. All the remaining monsters settled the actual fight in a matter of moments. The magical disparity was painfully obvious at this point; magically gifted mamono easily crushed any resistance with a wave of their hand. Once there were only a dozen monsters still in the ring, the friendly fire began in earnest. A lamia from the red team tried to blast one of her ghoul comrades in the back, but was quickly countered and subdued. On the red team, a high orc decided to shake things up a little by supplexing one of her teammates as they lined up a shot.

“ROUND!” shouted Maranth.

The four remaining monsters on the blue team stopped their infighting. Medical staff and students from the pharmacomancy discipline sallied forth to start clearing away the unconscious or concussed fighters as the crowd cheered for the victors.

“Savages.” Said Raigill. “I’ve seen Order priests use better combat magic.”

“You’ve never seen an Order priest in your life.” Said Maranth as she returned to her seat. “What did you think, Anon?”

“It was something alright.” You said. Looks like this whole ordeal take as long as you had anticipated.

“You should see what the REAL fights are like. I always love to see the way professionals dule. So elegant! None of this ‘one spell and I’ll switch to my fists’ nonsense.” Said Maranth.

“Mm hmm.” You hummed as you watched a succubus and a unicorn straining to roll an oni onto a stretcher.

“Anyways, you should get down there. The next round begins soon.” Said Maranth.

With a sigh, you flopped off the seat and walked back down to the leana and her husband.

“Voila! A new masterpiece just for you!” said the fairy proudly as her husband handed you the sign.

ROUND 2: TEAM ELIMINATION

“Looks great.” you said. Opening the door, you stepped back out into the arena. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Seeing these fights was more entertaining than you expected. It would also be the first chance you had to see a real high-level magical duel. Aside from the outfit, this was shaping out to be a pretty good day.

~~~~~~

Things were peachy for the first couple of fights. The magic was flying, the monsters were dropping, you were snacking, and everyone was having a grand old time. But as the competition rolled on, so did the general level of intoxication in the crowd. The wine and ale vendors must have been pulling form casks somewhere, because they NEVER seemed to run out. You watched as a satyros handed a shit-faced gang of orcs another few bottles of wine. The pigs cheered and began guzzling, falling over themselves in a fit of laughter.

Getting drunk at a sports event was nothing you weren’t familiar with; it happened all the time on Earth. But on Earth, you weren’t forced to wear a glorified cheerleading outfit and attract the attention of hundreds of inebriated rapists. Maranth’s insistence that you ‘do a human dance’ for the crowd at intermission didn’t help either. You’d like to think that your dancing wasn’t THAT bad, but the crowd was apparently insulted by your weak attempts to work your body. For your troubles, the monsters doused you with water when you tried to go back up to the box. Pelting you with kebab skewers and empty cups, they demanded that you ‘shake yourself dry’ for their amusement. A drunken hellhound had unexpectedly come to your rescue after she started crying about how you were being abused. This started a row between the monsters who thought that you didn’t deserve the vitriol and those that just wanted to see your dick through your wet shorts. Colo had come to your rescue, blinking you into the box as a fight broke out.

“Thish is greatd!” said Maranth through a mouthful of pastry. She was starting to get a little tipsy too. One of her hands was down her husbands pants, gently stroking him while he reclined on her chest.

“How many more rounds are there?” you said, ignoring her flagrant ministrations. 

“Only a few more. This is the quarter finals.” Said Colo.

{Ahnon, do you hneed a uhhh…} what’s the word for ‘towel’ in your language?” asked Raigill in English.

“Towel.” You said.

{Doa you hneed a towvel?} said Raigill. That accent was so cute.

“No, I’m fine. These things don’t take that long to dry.” You said tugging at your shirt and shorts.

“I wonder if they’ll shrink?” said Colo with a grin.

“I don’t think they could get any tighter.” You grumbled.

“Quit bitching Anon. Look! That cute demon you like is about to fight.” Said Raigill. 

Indeed she was; though you weren’t sure about the ‘like’ part. Voso strutted out into the arena and waved to the crowd. She had been cleaning house so far. Most of the monsters weren’t able to touch her. Since Voso was more roguish than the average mage, she was able to use her acrobatics and endurance to outmaneuver most spells that were slung her way.

She was the only one you recognized, besides the ignis from your magic class. The other two were upperclassmen you didn’t recognize. Voso was going up against one of the seniors, a mantis who specialized in short-range teleportation. Probably the end of the line for Voso, if you had to guess. Speed was the only thing that had kept her alive so far, and the mantis was bound to be MUCH faster.

Colo handed you another cup of wine. You shouldn’t be drinking so much given your circumstances, but the stuff was too damn good. It also made slutting it up more tolerable.

“I know her! She’sh the one who was asking about you.” Said Colo, gesturing at Voso and sloshing her own cup.

“She was asking about me?” you said.

“Yeah. Wanted to know what I was doing with you.” The cheshire’s face shifted into a narrowed eyed glare as she did her best Voso impression. “I don’t know who you are, but Anon is MINE. Huh? You were doing what with him? Oh! How sweet! I hope Brez understands how you feel.”

Colo laughed. “First time in a while I actually felt scared of something.”

“Other than Brez?” you sneered.

Colo smacked you. “Shut up! Go say hi to your wife, you slut.”

Sounds like a good idea to you!

“Woooo! Go Voso!” you shouted, waving at the demon.

Voso’s jaw dropped. Beaming, she frantically waved back at you. Her azure skin turned to a deep purple as she blew you a kiss.  
The monsters around the box went wild. Some were cheering her on, telling her to win for her husband. Others got jealous and screeched at her to go fuck herself. You just laughed and reclined in your seat. Fuck, this was good wine.

“That’s so CUTE Anon.” said Raigill. “Voso’z such a good girl.”

“Get down there, Anon. I’m not paying you to sit around.” Said Maranth.

“You’re not paying me at all, bitch.” You said.

“Oh yeah…”

By now you were used to the routine. With the blind confidence that could only be found in an intoxicated stupor, you strutted back out into the arena with the latest sign.

VOSO vs. AFFINIS: SINGLE ELIMINATION

The mantis was seemingly indifferent to your presence. She just stared past you at Voso. Voso on the other hand, was clearly trying not to lose her cool composure. She offered you a small wave when you swung the sign in her direction. Unfortunately for her, the knife she was clutching to her chest in the other hand made the affectionate gesture more threatening than intended. Just like a yandere from one of your Laotian claymations.

You made your way back to the box and collapsed into your seat with a sigh. Sipping your booze, you waited for Maranth to kick things off.

“BEGIN!”

Affinis surged forward. She crossed the entirety of the arena in a few seconds. Most of her matches so far had ended with the first strike.

“How is she able to do that?” you asked Colo.

“Theriomancy is a hell of a school. The Academy usually frowns on it since acting like an animal in a dungeon full of traps and monsters will usually get you killed, but they make special exceptions for monsters with good control.” Said Colo.

Voso stepped back as Affinis began to cleave at her with her scythes. There was a flash of magic as Voso enchanted her daggers and desperately tried to parry the incoming blows. In a flash, Affinis scored two shallow slashes on Voso’s arm and stomach. Voso screamed and blinked away with a short teleportation spell.

Reappearing a few yards away, Voso unleashed a barrage of mana shots at Affinis. Affinis artfully dodged the incoming magic and continued her pursuit. Biding her time, Voso waited for the mantis to leap before launching her next attack. Affinis twisted midair to avoid being hit, and skidded off to Voso’s side.

“Looks like your blushing bride is out.” Said Colo.

“Voso will be fine. Now that she’s got some distance, there’s no way she’ll lose.” You said.

“Not if this fight lasts much longer.”

Endurance did appear to be the deciding factor in this fight. Affinis looked just as strong now as she had when the match began. Conversely, Voso looked like she was nearing her limit. Her chest was heaving, and the mana shots were coming less and less frequently. Lashing out at Affinis with magic, she tried to grab the insect woman. Affinis effortlessly warded against the incoming spell and tackled Voso. The demon had just enough time to teleport away before Affinis’s claws came down.

Gasping, Voso leaned against an arena wall. Clutching her stomach, she looked up at you.

“Come on, you can do it. I know you can. You’ve always got something planned…” you muttered.

Voso clenched her teeth and prepared to face Affinis again. This time, she made no attempt to halt the mantis’s advance as she closed in. When Affinis made her first slash, Voso used her magic to twist the scythe away from her and down into the dirt. Lunging at Affinis, Voso pressed her palm into the girl’s chest. Affinis swung at Voso with her free arm, but faltered halfway through. The swipe connected but with only an ounce of the force intended. Her face reddened. Taking a deep breath, Voso formed an o with her thumb and fingers and blew a pink haze in the face of the stunned mantis.

Affinis shuddered and swayed. Voso wasted no time stabbing her with one of her daggers as Affinis teetered away from her. Pulling the knife free, Voso let Affinis collapse into the dirt. Her body twitched as the insect woman soaked her panties and was still.  
You cheered with the crowd. Raigill was out of her seat pumping her fist and squealing.

“What kind of magic was that?” you asked Colo.

“That was a combination of spells.” Said Zara. “Voso knew that breaking the beast boost spell would only last a moment. So instead of counter-attacking, she used the spellbreak to get through Affinis’s ward and cast succubus instant. Since beast boost is an unconscious spell, it was guaranteed to backfire once succubus instant was cast. After that, Voso used breath of ecstasy to finish her off. A bit heavy-handed, but if she hadn’t used the breath Affinis may have come to her senses before Voso could stab her.”

“Neat.” You said. It was so interesting to see what these mages could do with practice. You really needed to work on your spells; if this tournament had taught you anything it was that one trick ponies don’t last long.

“Holy shit Anon. Your wife is cool.” Said Colo.

“Yeah, she’s pretty strong.” You conceded.

Voso was waving at you with one hand while the other clenched her belly. Stop that! Go find a doctor, you dork! You smiled and waved back at her. Voso squealed and did a little shimmy. She winced when she accidentally put pressure on the wound and shuffled off towards the medical staff with a goofy grin on her face.

“Impressive.” Sniffed Maranth. High praise indeed from the dark valkyrie.

“Do you think she’ll win?” said Colo giving you a nudge with her elbow.

“I don’t know. Winner of the next fight goes up against her in the finals.” You said.

“You know what this DOES mean?”

You cocked your eyebrow.

“MORE WINE!” said Colo pulling another two cups out of the air.

“Hell yeah.” You said toasting her.

~~~~~~

The next round ended quickly, with the ignis from your magic class being defeated by a dark mage. No matter how much the elemental tried to immolate her foe, the flames just washed over the mage’s ward until the ignis got caught in a counter offensive.

“You nervous Anon, looks like you’re goin on tha date.” Said Colo hanging off your shoulders. Her breath reeked of wine.

“I’m not going NOWHERE.” You said jabbing a finger into her tit. “I made a BET, and I’m getting PAID.”

“You’re getting LAAAIIIDDD!” said Colo collapsing onto the ground in a fit of laughter.

“Anon, pull your drunkard ass together and get out there.” Said Maranth.

“I’m going.” You said.

Taking the final sign of the day, you strutted out into the arena for the last time. By now you were beyond giving a fuck.  
FINAL ROUND: VOSO vs. MADOLOTIS

Spin, pose, hip swing and… done. Back to the booth. You thanked the leana and her husband for all the signs and returned to your seat. You sighed in contentment as the cheap wine coursed through your veins. The world wobbled around you as you draped one of your arms over your eyes.

“Pay attention! They’re about to do the thing!” said Colo.

Indeed they were. The dark mage and Voso were already sizing each other up.

“Before we begin this final match, I would ask that the audience give a round of applause for our two competitors who have made it so far, and all the other contenders that fought so valiantly before them!”

Monsters around the stadium stood and applauded.

“Contenders at the ready, START!”

Maranth’s hand fell and the match began. Neither Voso nor Madolotis moved. The crowd murmured as the seconds dragged on.

“Why aren’t they moving?” you whispered to Colo.

“I don’t know. I think something important is about to happen.” Said Colo.

“Like wha-“

“Shh!” Colo stuffed a furry hand into your face.

“You look tired, dear. Why not spare yourself the humiliation of defeat and forfeit? I’m sure you could ask the human to bandage all those wounds.” Said the dark mage.

The crowd hushed at the sweet, sweet sound of banter. As much as the denizens of Valisias loved to fight, they loved shit-talking even more. It was almost a sport in and of itself. Every tough-bitch monster had her own personal repertoire of insults and comebacks.  
“Me? I’m a demon, I’ve got energy to spare! I’d be more concerned with your OWN wellbeing; it isn’t safe for a HUMAN like yourself to be wandering through monster territory.” Said Voso.

“Oh ho! Some ‘demon’ you are. I’ve never heard of one of the Demon Lord’s finest being carved up by a BUG before.” Said Madolotis.  
“And I’VE never heard of a man who would want a flat-chested, narrow-hipped, SPINSTER like yourself.” Said Voso.

Uh oh. She said it. The ‘s’ word. That not-so-sinister word in your language, but one of the worst insults a monster could conjure against another mamono. To call a monster a spinster was to imply that they had failed at the one thing they all wanted to accomplish in life, despite having the assets to claim a man.

Madolotis’s hair wafted as she fired the first bolt of magic at Voso. Voso flapped her wings and shot to the side.

“Maybe if you spent more time working on that attitude and less time with your nose in a book, you’d have a husband~” chided Voso.

The blows came heavy and fast as Voso skirted around the edge of the arena towards Madolotis. The dark mage said nothing, fully set on expressing her indignation with violence rather than witty retorts.

Voso winged away from the wall and towards Madolotis. As the mage fired her next shot, Voso teleported to her flank and thrust her knife at Madolotis’s exposed side. The dagger stopped just short of connecting with the woman, and Voso had to drop the knife and roll away to avoid the blast of energy Madolotis released.

“Enough! This ends now!” snarled Madolotis. 

Before Voso could regain her balance, Madolotis was bearing down on her with telekinesis. Voso raised her hands and put up her wards just in time to prevent herself from being crushed. You watched intently as the dim light around her hands began to flicker.

“Oh fuck…” said Colo.

“What?” you asked.

“Madolotis is trying to wrap things up in a hurry. See how Voso’s barrier is pulsing like that? Madolotis keeps breaking her wards as fast as she can put them up. That’s a huge strain on mana, for both of them. This might go on until one of them is dry…” said Colo.  
Both monster’s faces were contorted with strain. Sweat was pouring down Voso’s brow into her cleavage. You prayed that your boner went away before you had to stand up again.

“SUBMIT!” shouted Madolotis.

Voso lowered one of her hands and whipped a knife at Madolotis. Madolotis swatted Voso into a wall and deflected the knife with a wave of her hand. 

“Pathetic! Did you think that trick would save you? You’ve only bought yourself an extra second of time!” said Madolotis.

Voso’s legs wobbled fiercely as she stood. She smiled at the dark mage. “A second is all I need.” 

She slapped the wall beside her. The stone wall of the arena seemed to shake, and a few trickles of dust came free. The crowd hollered in astonishment. An intricate network of lines and runes formed a potent magic circle of unknown purpose.

“I took the liberty of using my teletomancy skills to carve this out a few days ago. I was tempted to reveal it during the last fight, but I’m glad I saved it.” Panted Voso. “This fight was over before it began.”

Her palm flared. Nothing happened. Voso froze and stared at her carving.

“Over before it began, hmm? THAT we can agree on.” Said Madolotis. She lashed out and seized Voso by the throat. Holding the demon against the wall, she casually approached her foe while inspecting her nails. “Ahh, but one thing bothers me… You said: “I carved this out” but what you meant to say was, “I carved THESE out,” right?”

Madolotis reached the wall and slammed her fist into the stone. Like a ripple through a pond, streams of stone and dust fell away to reveal a dozen other magic circles engraved into the walls.

“I can see that you were quite busy!” said Madolotis inspecting Voso’s handiwork. “Ingenious to use a smaller sub-circle to power the concealment spell of each major circle. If I were any other species, I imagine you could have blown me away with ANY of these.”  
She grabbed Voso’s jaw with one of her hands. “But we see MUCH more than any of you~ I notched all the circles over the course of my matches. With all the mana pouring out of them, they may as well have been bonfires to me.”

“What kind of spell did she use to see all those?” you asked.

“None. She’s got one of those spirit things.” Said Colo.

“What?”

Colo let out a drunken burp. “You know, she’s one of those Zipangu gals with the fox ghost in ‘em.”

“A kitsune-tsuki?!” you asked.

“Yeah, sumthin’ like that.” Said Colo lounging on one of the empty seats.

Oh shiiiiittt…

Madolotis blasted Voso point blank with a mana shot. Voso screamed and bounced off the wall, landing in a heap at Madolotis’s feet. The tsuki stepped away from Voso for a second and raised her hands in triumph.

The crowd lost it. Fans poured onto the field to hoist Madolotis onto their shoulders. Food and trash was heaved over the wall down into the pit. Gamblers who had lost their money swore and cursed at Madolotis as she was carried away by the mob of drunken hooligans.

Maranth watched the chaos unfolding below. “Tsk! I didn’t even get to give her the prize! Oh well, I’ll track her down eventually. Anon, I was going to have you hand her the potion, but it looks like you’re off the hook. I’d tell you that you did a good job out there today but…” she put a hand on your shoulder. “That was some of the worst dancing I’ve ever seen. Please, for the sake of your future wife, find an apsara and get some lessons.”

You nodded. Yeah, whatever. All you cared about now was going home and getting some sleep. There was too much wine and too many carbs in you right now to think of anything else.

Teetering back to your dorm, you flopped down face-first onto your bed and passed out.


	37. Chapter 37

In the wake of the tournament, classes were unofficially canceled since everyone was sleeping off the gallons of booze they had consumed yesterday. Sure, the lessons were still technically scheduled, but after Raigill passed out on her desk you decided to get some brunch and call it there.

“That was so exciting!” said Decara.

“Uh huh.” You mumbled, pouring some syrup into the heart shaped divots of your waffles. 

“I though you’d be a bit more enthusiastic, considering who won.” Said the smugcubuss.

“The tsuki? Why? She could tear me in half if she wanted too. Isn’t she going to have some raging cock-lust for me?” you asked.  
The motherly succubus giggled. “No, she already had her eyes set on a man in town. Apparently the crowd convinced her to go get him after the match. Rumor has it they haven’t left his room since.”

That was a relief. It was comforting to know that one of the Academy’s premier ass-kickers wasn’t going to be part of the rape-squad beating down your door tomorrow night.

You clenched your fork. That was it, wasn’t it? A little more than a day to make any preparations you needed to protect yourself from being harem’d by women more than twice your weight.

No, you had finally made up your mind. You were going to Zipangu. The promised land. It was a bit of a gamble, but a gamble you were willing to take. The island was home to some of your favorite species: kunoichi, ryu, ushi, inari to name a few. But it also had some of those WEIRD ones. If some fucking lamp tried to have its way with you, you were taking a swan dive off the nearest cliff. Better wisp’d than be an umbrella’s husband.

Your destination was certain, your means of egress were not. You only had a paucity of money to your name, owed to you by Voso. Not NEARLY enough to get you where you needed to go. As it turns out, this world was BIG. It was one thing to hear it from the encyclopedia, and another to realize that in all your travels you had only laid heel on a tiny corner of one continent of this vast world. The trip to Zipangu would take months. You would also need to purchase food, water, travel supplies, and protection in addition to simple transportation.

No matter. You had the plan, all you needed was money and a bit of faith.

“Are you all from Valisias?” you asked the group of succubi.

They stopped gushing over how cute the tsuki and her husband were and gave you a perplexed look.

“No, I don’t think most people are.” Said the dumb succubus.

“I came from a monster neutral town from the frontier. The Academy will prospect guys with magical potential and give them a free ride.” Said Brez.

“That’s so WE can give you a free ride~” said the smugcubuss.

“How far away are your homes?” you inquired.

“I’d say… a week and a half away by road.” Said the motherly succubus.

“About the same for me.” Said Decara.

“And how much did it cost to move to Valisias? With all your luggage and everything.” You said.

“A decent amount, the company I used was pretty cheap. The centaurs are very competitive when it comes to transportation.” Said Decara.

“What about travel to somewhere really far away? Some place like the Mist Continent?”

The smug succubus laughed. “Babe, if you think you’re going to escape the Dash and be halfway around the world in a day you’re overestimating how fast transportation in this world is. It isn’t like we have those flying things you have.”

“And there’s no way you’re getting out of the Valisias. The second you step outside the city bounds is the second you become fair game for all the girls in the Academy. And the ones outside it…” said the motherly succubus.

“I know that.” You said. “I’m just thinking about the future.”

“Bold of you to assume you have a future outside of Rhodon’s personal cunt-polisher.” Said the smugcubuss. Brez slapped her tit and she yipped.

“Worst case scenario, I just pick out whoever I feel most attached to in the crowd and pray that they’re the monogamous and jealous type.” You said quietly.

“Not a harem man, hmm? I would have figured that you’d have a whole laundry list of girls you would collect.” Said the motherly succubus.

“That sounds like one of those Zipangunese lamias.” Said the dumb succ.

“I just think one wife is enough. No offence, Brez.” You said.

“None taken.” Said Brez from the cleavage of the dumb succubus.

“If I were you, I’d pick a few girls instead of just one. It’s not like she’s going to be able to keep you to herself when everyone else is trying to rape you as well.” Said Decara.

You sighed. “I didn’t think that getting an education would be so stressful…”

“Aww, cheer up. In just two days you’ll be in the middle of a big cuddle pile with all your new wives! All your stress will just melt away!” beamed the dumb succubus.

“…Yeah. I’m going to go do some work. I might not be back for dinner.” You said.

“Going somewhere?” asked the motherly succ.

“I’m helping someone out with a project.” You said.

“Should we come find you if it’s getting late?” asked Decara.

“No, I should be fine.” You said.

“Glad to hear. We weren’t going to come save you anyways.” Said the smugcubuss.

You rolled your eyes and went to find Pacolo.

~~~~~

“Excuse me, do you know where Pacolo’s dorm room is?” you asked an arachne.

She blinked at you. A smile bloomed on her face and she anxiously nodded. “Of course! Yes! How about I show you? Her room is right over here!”

The spider woman skittered down the hall and up the stairs. You jogged after her. It was imperative that you spend as little time as possible in the mamono dormitory. Mostly because of the (relatively) high probability of sexual violence, but also because it smelled funny and if your boot stuck to one more mystery splotch on the floor you were going to burn this building to the ground in the name of sanitation. Seriously, where was a kiki when you needed one?

Clambering up the stairs, you saw the arachne doing a little side-step dance in front of a door. It reminded you of a jumping spider back on Earth.

“This is it! Her room!” grinned the spider.

“Thanks.” You said.

You stood away from the monster, waiting for her to leave. No way in hell you were turning your back on her.

“You can leave, I don’t mean to hold you up.” You said.

“Oh, no! I don’t mind at all! I’ve got nowhere to be.” Insisted the spider.

You frowned. Walking towards her, you positioned yourself against the door on the other side of the hall opposite the one she was standing next to.

“Could you knock on that door then? Just call her name and wake her up. Since you know her so well.” You said.

The arachne woman hesitated, and gently knocked on the door. She muttered something you couldn’t quite make out.

“Looks like she’s asleep. Why don’t you go wake her up? I’m sure she’ll be MUCH more excited to see you rather than me.” Said the arachne.

“Open the door.”

The arachne’s eyebrows raised. “Huh?”

“We both know that that’s your room. Do you even know the person I’m trying to find?” you asked.

“Of course!” said the arachne indignantly.

“What species is she?”

“She’s uhh… you know, one of those…lizarrrrrrr-“

You stared at her.

“-amazoooo-succubus?” said the arachne with an apologetic grin.

“I’ll find her myself.” You said.

“Wait! I admit it, I don’t know Pacolo on a personal level, but I’ve heard the other girls talking about her! This is her room, I swear! I just wanted to help you, that’s all.” Said the arachne.

“I understand.” You said with a disarming smile. Looks like you had to do this the hard way. “How about you come in with me and I can introduce you?”

The phrase “come in with me” was all she needed. The arachne nodded vigorously and licked her lips. You took a few steps towards the door as she cracked it open.

As she slowly pushed open the door, you used a bit of magic to flick it all the way. The second you saw the first chunk of webbing hanging from the ceiling, you grabbed the arachne and began stuffing her into her room. She let out an angry shriek and lodged a few of her legs in the doorframe. Using one hand to hold her back with a ward, you used the other to pry her legs loose with magic. As the last leg sprang loose, the arachne hurtled back into one of her webs. A stream of curses and impotent vitriol spewed forth from the dark room as she fought to free herself.

You shut the door and listened. Yep, you could still hear her. Satisfied that the arachne could get someone’s attention if she started to starve to death, you continued your search for Pacolo.

“Who the hell is screaming out he- Anon!”

You whipped around to see Voso peeking out of her room. She looked awful. You couldn’t tell if her eyes were red or not with the black sclera, but you were fairly certain by the inflammation around them that she had been crying. Her normally neat hair was now a thicket of tangled locks and errant spikes sticking out at odd angles. You’d passed unconscious drunks on the way to the cafeteria this morning that looked more composed than Voso.

Actually, the hair was kind of cute. Something about refined evil women with bedhead was more adorable than it had any right to be.

“What are you doing here?” said Voso. She shuffled back into her room to hide her disheveled appearance.

“I was just looking for Pacolo, I’m helping her out with something. Are you okay?” you asked. It seemed like it would be inconsiderate to just ignore her anguish when she was so obviously distraught.

“I’m fine. I just… wasn’t expecting things to go like that in the final fight.” Said Voso. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“But you were great out there!” you said. “If it had been anyone but Madolotis, you would have one for sure!”

“It WAS her, and I still lost!” said Voso.

“Second place is impressive no matter how you look at it.” You said.

“I just really wanted to… It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that no matter how much you want something, someone who is stronger than you can take it away in an instant.” she sniffed.

You shifted uncomfortably. These kinds of conversations really weren’t your thing. “Life isn’t all about power. Don’t forget, you don’t have to be strong enough to conquer the world; you only need to be strong enough to protect what’s most precious to you.”

Voso giggled. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It made more sense in my head…” you admitted. “Anyways, I have to go find Colo. Do you know where her dorm is?”

“First floor, three doors down on this side of the hallway.” Said Voso.

“Thanks. Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” you asked.

“I’ll be fine.” Nodded Voso.

You started down the hall.

“Anon, wait!”

Voso peeked out of her room at you. “What are you doing during the Dash?” she asked quietly.

“Fighting for my life, mostly.” You said flatly. Voso watched as you turned around again and went to find Colo.

~~~~~~

You sat at the corner while Pacolo composed herself.

“How does my hair look?” she asked, looking at herself in puddle.

“You mean your head hair, or your body hair?” you asked.

“It’s fur!” snarled Colo.

“It looks fine, calm down.” You said shielding yourself from her.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “You go in first.”

“You better get your furry ass in there soon. If it’s just going to be me sitting alone like an asshole, I could be doing that in my dorm room.” You said.

“I’m right behind you, now go!” said Colo.

By the way her tail was bushing, you figured you could order and eat a three-course meal before she darkened the door. Moseying across the street, you dodged an ogre’s groping hand and ducked inside.

“Heeeey! There he is!” boomed Guyan.

“Hi Guyan. How’s it going?” you asked.

“Great! Follow me, I’ll set you up at your table.” He said.

Your table. The table you had only sat at once before. Just how much was Guyan going to milk your patronage? This wouldn’t be an obstacle in your eventual egress from Valisias right? You hadn’t promised lizard-mom anything, but she obviously expected you to come eat here. And she didn’t seem like the kind of monster who would forgive you if you stopped showing up. Chances are she was also skilled enough to track you down like an animal if you ran. You shuddered as you remembered the size of the cleavers you had seen in the kitchen. “Come try our Anon special!”

“Feel like a drink?” asked Guyan.

“No thanks I’m f- Actually, I’ll take a drink. Give me an ale.” You said. This might be the last chance you had to get booze as a single man. Might as well savor it.

“Coming right up!” said Guyan.

Guyan disappeared to fetch your beverage. Colo floated inside soon after. You watched as she greeted Guyan and sat down at a booth a few rows up from you. Time to get to work. Cracking open your notebook, you mentally prepared yourself for the trainwreck you were about to watch.

“Hey there. This seat taken?~”

You were taken aback as a devil plopped herself down in the bench across from you.

“You must be that human I’ve been hearing so much about!” she said.

“Sorry, ma’am. I’m not here for company.” You said.

The devil ignored you and looked you over. “Goodness! So pale! Have you been taking care of yourself?”

You sighed. “Yes, that’s just the way my skin is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that I need to be taking care of so…” you shrugged and waited for her to leave. She smiled at you.

“Work hmm? I’m sure I can help you out with that. Wouldn’t you like some help from a cute little genius like myself?~” said the devil batting her eyes at you.

“No.” you said. Not a chance in hell you were risking making an accidental Faustian bargain with this overbearing womanlet.

She pouted. “I understand that you’re a capable man, but you have to learn to rely on others too.”

Reaching across the table, she yanked the book towards herself.

“Hey!” you protested.

“Ufufu… Something like this will be child’s play for such an intelligent and powerful monster like myself.” Chortled the devil. Her head snapped down and her red eyes bulged as she did a doubletake at the foreign scrawls.

“Here’s your ale.” Said Guyan. “Who is this?”

“Good question.” You said dryly.

The devil shrunk down into the booth. “I-it’s none of your business…” said the devil quietly.

“Please don’t bother the other patrons, miss.” Said Guyan. 

You pulled your book back over and took a sip of ale. The devil muttered an excuse and quickly left your table.

“Looks like we’re going to have to make you a ‘do not disturb’ sign, eh?” said Guyan watching the tiny woman scuttle away.

“Couldn’t hurt.” You said.

“So, what’ll it be today?” he asked.

“I’ll have the… steak, with the potato/vegetable mix as the side.” You said.

“Sure thing! I’ll have that right out.” Said Guyan.

You dipped your quill into the ink and scribbled out some opening observations. The easy part was ordering the food and taking notes. The hard part was having to watch Colo try and hold herself together. You winced as she called Guyan over and her voice cracked. Eros give me strength…

~~~~~~

Colo for the love of the Demon Lord, stop talking to him. Look at how uncomfortable he is! You sighed as her already discordant story started ANOTHER unrelated tangent.

Guyan didn’t have anything better to do. There were only a few other customers in the shop, and he had already asked them how their food was twice. He was now purring out a string of affirmatory grunts in response to Colo’s disconnected mess of a story. You had no idea what the purpose of the anecdote was, or what it was even about for that matter. And you had listened to the whole thing.

Time for the secret move. You loudly cleared your throat.

Colo went silent.

“… You ok?” asked Guyan.

“Huh? Uh, yeah! I just forgot what I was going to say.” Said Colo.

“Ah. Well, maybe you can tell me when you remember. I gotta go help with the dishes, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Said Guyan quickly excusing himself.

“Mouth.” Said Colo’s disembodied maw, popping into existence next to you.

“Colo, you’re doing the thing again.” You said.

“What, you mean talking too much?” she said.

“Yes! His eyes were glazing over.”

“You said to talk to him! I thought this was a good thing!” she hissed.

“You’re talking AT him, not WITH him. A conversation means BOTH people are talking.” You said.

Colo groaned. “I don’t know what to talk about!”

“Ask him if he saw the competition yesterday. Ask him about cooking. You know more of his interests than me!” you said.

“Fine!” huffed Colo. Her mouth disappeared.

Guyan slipped out of the kitchen a few minutes later and billed some of the other customers. Eventually he reached your table and bussed your dishes.

“So Anon, what did you think of the competition?” asked Guyan.

“Impressive on all accounts. Those were some talented mages.” You said.

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself. I uhh… didn’t know you were into those kinds of things. If you want, I know an amazon baroness who would LOVE to meet a guy like you.” Said Guyan.

“HOLD IT!” you shouted. “That was NOT my idea. Maranth put me into that shit for kicks.”

“Oh! My mistake. But if you ever change your mind, let me know. I hear she’s really gentle once you get to know her.” Insisted Guyan.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You said shutting your book. “Well, I have to be going. I’ve got some things to take care of back at the Academy.”

“Of course! Come back again. You’re always welcome, even if you get married. If you and your wives are feeling sore after the Dash, you can always bring them here! They’ll have to pay though.” Said Guyan.

“Yeah…” you said.

“Welp, I’ll see you later then! Be careful on the way back. Oh, and take this.” Said Guyan. He handed you a scrap of paper.

“What is it?” you asked. It looked like a coupon.

“That’s the baroness’s marriage proposal and how to contact her. I told her I know you when she ate here, and she asked me to give that to you.” Said Guyan.

Oh.

“Bye, Guyan.” You said.

You slipped out into the street and darted across the street. Pacolo exited a few minute after you and floated over to you.

“About time.” You said. A harpy was eyeing you up and counting the money in her coin purse. By the way she was looking around you were guessing that she had the wrong idea about why you were out here.

“I didn’t take long.” Huffed Colo.

You walked back towards the Academy with Colo. Once again, you chatted about what she had done well, what she hadn’t, and what she would do next time.

“Are you alright? You seem a little out of it.” Said Colo.

You yawned. “I haven’t been getting as much sleep as I normally do. I’ve been trying to practice all the spells I’ll need for the Dash.”

“I’ve been working on that too!” said Colo.

“Really?”

“Don’t give me that look! I can work hard when I need to, you know.”

“Oh yeah? What have you done so far?” you asked.

“It’s a secret.” Winked Colo.

“A secret huh?” you said flatly.

“Have some faith, Anon! I wouldn’t let my friend down.” Said Colo, poking your cheek.

“I trust you. After all, the girls would probably beat the crap out of you too if they catch us.” You said.

Colo grimaced. “Eugh… I hadn’t thought about that…”

“You don’t have to think. Just keep me away from them and leave the blasting to me.” You said.

“Aww~ What a big, strong, man you are~” Said Colo batting her eyes at you.

You snorted. Turning back to your notes, you began to rip into her again as she insisted that she wasn’t half as autistic as she actually was.

~~~~~~

Dawn of the final day.

What was that from? Oh right, the game. Rolling out of bed, you scribbled yourself a quick note about the relic of your life on Earth and dressed yourself. Today was the big day. Preparations had been long and costly. Tonight, the efficacy of your precautions would be put to the test.

Schlepping down to the washroom, you splashed some water on your face and looked at yourself in the mirror. An unsightly bit of stubble had begun to manifest on your neglected face.

You can do this. Everything was in place. Colo was backing you. The succs and a few other monsters had agreed to help you. Kind of. The general consensus was your survival would be a strong second priority to their husband’s dick. More than you would get from most monsters honestly.

Donning your clothes for the day, you headed off to breakfast.

~~~~~~

Not much was said; there wasn’t much to say. 

You knew what was coming, and so did every other monster in the cafeteria. Even the ones that were after different guys were simmering with anticipation. Rhodon was staring at impassively. Her face didn’t show it, but you sensed a smug aura radiating from her. A few other members of the penis plundering posse were less subtle in their insinuations of your defeat, making crude gestures or mouthing salacious phrases at you. Barbaric.

Little did they know that they were in for a nasty surprise. You weren’t some run-of-the-mill monster territory man who would just roll over and drop his pants the second some weresheep asked him to. No, you were a rootin’ tootin’ magic shootin’ machine who had taken down an ancient evil vampire(with the help of her freakishly strong progeny who admittedly did most of the legwork, but you were there for moral supports and some of the potshots you took hit too, so it counts). Compared to such a foe, slogging through these mooks would be a cake walk.

“Anon, even if we don’t see you tonight, we’re all hoping you stay safe.” Said Decara.

“Actually, I’m rooting for the rapists.” Quipped the smugcubuss.

“Imaris! How could you say that? Anon is our friend! The least you could do is support him.” Chided the motherly succ.

An ironic statement, considering you only knew Brez and Decara by name. You had carried over your autistic means of communication from Earth: the tried and true “make eye contact with the person, start talking, and pray they get the message.” It wasn’t as if you were on bad terms with any one of them (except the cunty one who rubbed you the wrong way sometimes), you just never learned their names when you first met them and it would be too awkward to ask now. They were supposed to be pawns anyways, not the people you ate with every day.

“I’ll be fine. One way or another…” you said.

“I’m sure one of them will make you very happy.” Said the dumb succ warmly.

You gave her a smile. Out of pity, not because you were touched by the sentiment or anything. This poor little semen demon was just too innocent for this world.

“We’ll be sure to check on you first thing in the morning.” Said Brez.

“Thanks. I don’t mean to burden you, but if you do could you bring some breakfast?” you asked.

“I’ll bring a few portions.” Nodded Brez.

Brez, that’s the homie.

“Out of curiosity, who do you think is going to give you the most trouble tonight?” asked the motherly succ.

“Who ever has the strongest magic. Don’t know who that would be.” You said.

“Just aim for whoever’s pointing their hands at you.” Said Imaris.

“I think that might be most of them.” You said.

“Then you’d better aim fast.” She sneered.

Insightful as always.

“I’m plenty fast.” You said.

“Yeah, you seem like the kind of guy who would blow all of his mana the second he saw an attractive woman.” Grinned Imaris.

Why did you even bother?

“Whatever. I’ll see you lot at dinner.” You said excusing yourself.

“Make it an early one. The dash starts at sundown.” Said Decara.

You nodded and headed towards Raigill’s classroom.

“Anon!”

Maranth sauntered towards you. The spring in her step and the smile on her face were a perplexing juxtaposition of her dour demeanor when you had first met her. To the rest of the student body, you may have been a bachelor or another student. To Maranth, you were an invaluable source of entertainment, and bait to coax other monsters into doing her bidding.

“How is my favorite human doing today?” she asked sweetly.

“You seem… vivacious…” you said. Maranth calling for you was never good, but Maranth being this excited was ALWAYS bad.

She inhaled and let it out with a sigh. “I’m just enjoying this WONDERFUL day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there’s love in the air, and tonight a pack of violent rapists are going to savage anything on campus with testicles.”

Maranth looked at you expectantly. You didn’t reply.

“Speaking of which, I wanted to ask if you had any plans for tonight.” She said.

“We both know what I’m doing tonight.” You said.

“Yeah yeah, the whole “fight my rapists” thing. I just want to know HOW you plan to do that.” Said Maranth.

“Are you doing espionage for Rhodon?” you asked incredulously.

“What? No, of course not! That would ruin the fun.” Frowned Maranth. “Just give me a few hints about what you have planned.”

“You’ll have to wait for the surprise like everyone else.” You said trying to move past her.

“Come ooooonnnn!” whined Maranth. She leaned in and put up her wings to shield your conversation from passing monsters. “Is it all going down in one place, or do I will I have to move to see the whole thing?”

“That depends on the circumstances.” You said.

“Oooh~ How mysterious.” Mocked Maranth. She pulled away from you. “I’ll just be prepared to move. Oh! And I rehired that leana and her husband again. If you do get raped, they’ll paint your ahegaoing face sandwiched between your smug wife’s thighs as your semen leaks out of her snatch. You can interpret that as consultation for getting raped or extra incentive not to be raped. Anyways, see you tonight! Be sure to wear some clothes that will look good when they’re torn up.”

Maranth winked at you and wandered off down the hall. You shook your head and continued to Raigill’s class.

“Oh! And one last thing…”

You looked over your shoulder.

“Try not to bust up the campus too bad. A few smashed buildings are fine, Druella knows that they probably aren’t up to code, but if I have to rebuild the campus from scratch, I’m putting you up as a deposit for the construction firm.” Maranth made finger guns at you and clicked her tongue.

That’s not good. Your strategy consisted almost solely of blowing holes in things. If things got too intense, it might be wise to improvise a trip out to the practice fields to save these drafty, mold-ridden buildings from being blasted into rubble.

You plunked your stuff down at your desk and took your seat. The monsters in Raigill’s class were even more tense than the ones in the cafeteria. Normally the raucous crowd was loudly fighting, arguing, gambling, or molesting each other. Today, they were all eyeing each other; sizing up the competition and the prey. Rhodon and her compatriots locked eyes with you as you sat at your desk.

No sooner had you pulled out your first piece of paper than Rhodon made her way over to you. You knew she was coming by the hush that wormed its way towards you with her.

“Anon.”

You clenched your quill.

Rhodon moved to the front of your desk and placed her hands on either side. Leaning over, she gave you an unimpaired view of her cleavage.

“It’s your last chance, Anon. I may be a cruel bitch, but I’m not as sadistic as you think. You’re mine; there’s no way I’m letting you go after the shit you’ve said to me. How cruel I am? Well… That’s up to YOU.” She said. Dipping her pinkie into your ink well, she traced a heart on the blank piece of paper in front of you.

“We ALL know what’s going to happen to you tonight. Nothing, and no one can stop that. I will beat, squeeze, bite, and FUCK every last shred of that arrogance out of you. And so will they.” She said, her eyes flitting up to the other rapists.

“Tonight, when we come for you, just let us in. Let us in, and do as your told. However we contort you, whatever we order you to do, do it. Surrender yourself to pleasure as we feast on you. And smile. Smile, because you know that you have saved yourself a terrible fate by not resisting. Because if you DO fight back…”

Rhodon traced a jagged line through the center of the heart.

“We’ll make sure your mind is so fried that you won’t have the mental capacity to do anything more complex than finger a cunt.”

She moved in to whisper in your ear. You did your best to remain stoic.

“Between you and me? I WANT you to give it your all. Some of the others want to take pity on you when you’re beaten and bloodied at our feet. Not me. I want you to look up at me, confident that the suffering your enduring is as bad as it gets… And I want to show you that the REAL suffering hasn’t even begun.”

Rhodon stood up and stretched, revealing her toned brown tummy. On a different monster, you would have admired such a splendid midriff. But not on Rhodon.

“Whatever you decide to do, I hope you do it well. It would be such a shame if you couldn’t live up to all the boasts you’ve made.”  
Rhodon returned to her seat.

You exhaled. Without realizing it, you had been clenching every muscle in your body. Working your way through your body, you tried to loosen individual muscles. Blood pounded through your head.

“Anon…”

Voso’s voice was almost a whisper.

She was looking at you with pleading eyes.

“Anon…” she whimpered again.

“I’ll be fine, Voso.” You said softly.

Demoto’s tail rested its head on your desk. The rest of her also turned around.

“We’re all worried about you.” She said. “Why not take one of us? We can protect you. I can care for you, not like those SAVAGE SLAGS.”

You sighed. “I know you would, Demoto. This is just something I have to do.” You said.

“WHY?!” shouted Voso. You almost collapsed out of your seat. “Why do you INSIST on slugging it out with them for the sake of PRIDE?! You’re risking EVERYTHING, and for WHAT? Bragging rights? To test your strength? Or is this some sort of fucked up foreplay for you?”   
You gawked at Voso. She started to cry. Words failed you. The rest of the class seemed equally as stunned by the normally composed demon’s sudden outburst.

“Voso I-“

Voso spared herself your half-baked excuse by getting up and leaving. Flinging open the door, she slipped outside before slamming it shut with magic behind her.

Shit. As if today wasn’t stressful enough…

~~~~~

“Hey Anon, if you’re not going to eat your potatoes, can I have them?” asked the dumb succ.

You shoveled them onto her plate. It seemed foolish to give away food when you would need all the energy you could get later, but you were too stressed to eat right now.

“There’s no need to worry, Anon. No matter what, everything will be better tomorrow morning. Even Rhodon will love you if she manages to catch you.” Said the motherly succ.

“It’s not so bad once you get used to it.” Added Brez.

“Yeah, I know…” you said shuffling some vegetables around your plate.

“So why the long face?” asked Decara.

“I… I’m haunted by the notion that this might be it, and I might be forced to marry someone who isn’t who I could love the MOST. Sure, I’d come to love them eventually, but are they really the one I could love over all others? I mean… Shit. I don’t know. Forget I said anything.” You said stabbing your fork into your tray.

The succubi glanced at each other.

“Is that why you’ve been putting off getting hitched this whole time?” asked Imaris.

“It’s not the only reason, but it’s a big one. What I’m describing probably seems like paranoia to a monster. Hell, maybe it IS paranoia to think like that in this world.” You said.

“There’s nothing wrong with thinking like that.” Said Imaris softly.

“She’s right, Anon. Mamono may consummate our love quickly, but we don’t do it with just anyone. In fact, monsters know better than anyone that love isn’t anything to be taken lightly. Sometimes you just feel it; a werewolf will pass up on an easy target, or an amazon will pass off a man to one of her sisters even though she isn’t married because they can tell that the spark isn’t there. Eros will provide, so long as you’re honest with yourself.” Said the motherly succ.

A hint of a smile crept onto your face. That was surprisingly reassuring. It was comforting to know that even sex demons were so understanding of your apprehensions. This whole time, you had figured they would tear into you for being a coward; so entitled that he would chase the woman of his dreams instead of the one in front of him.

“Thanks. I don’t know if Eros is watching over me, what with me being… not of this world, but I could really use any help she could spare right now.” You said.

“Eros is the steward of ALL love, Anon, even beasts know her touch.” Assured the motherly succ.

You sighed. “As much as I’d love to let my faith settle this, Eros isn’t going to fight my battles for me. I have to get ready; it will be dark soon.” You said looking out the window. Already the first streaks of red were starting to color the sky.

“Be safe Anon.” said Decara.

“We’re all rooting for you.” Said Imaris.

“No matter what, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Smiled Brez.

You nodded and headed off to your room.

Fate it would seem, had other plans. Voso was waiting outside the cafeteria, leaning against a wall. You hadn’t seen her since she stormed off this morning.

“There you are. Do you have any idea what time it is?” she said.

You breezed past her. “Time to get ready.”

She matched your pace. “Anon, I want to help.”

You cocked an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Voso pursed her lips and nodded.

“If you want to help, you can wish me luck.” You said.

“Anon, I’m serious.” Said Voso.

“So am I. I have a plan, and you’re not in it. I can’t reschedule everything now because you want on at the last minute.” You said.

“You need all the help you can get.” Hissed Voso. “We both know that I won’t be a liability. I have more combat experience than you and that damn cat combined.”

You looked at her. “How much do you know about Pacolo?”

“I know she’s helping you. I know you’re planning on using her to warp around. And I’ll tell you right now: it won’t be enough. You need someone else to help you fight.” Said Voso.

“This isn’t about fighting. If I thought I could survive this with fighting alone, I’d just crater the bastards when they knocked on my door.” You said.

As you rounded the corner Voso slipped in front of you and blocked your path. You were inexplicably struck with an intense feeling of DeJa’Vu.

“You are impossible! Give me ONE reason why you don’t want my help!” shouted Voso.

“Because I can’t trust you!” you shouted.

Voso shrunk back. “…What?”

“You have your own agenda, just like they do. I’m sorry, Voso, but I can’t be dealing with a potential threat when I’m facing down Rhodon’s rapists. You’re my friend, but don’t think I’ve forgotten that of all the people in this Academy, you’re the one who has come closest to raping me.”

Voso grit her teeth. She mouthed a response as tears welled in her eyes, but didn’t manage a retort.

“I don’t care what you do tonight; if you feel like helping me, fine. Do whatever you want. Just don’t get in my way.” You said.

She let out a raspy sigh and wiped her face. “I… Don’t like it, but I can SEE why you would be apprehensive about me helping you…” Voso sniffed and looked away.

It hurt to see her like this. She was arguably the sweetest girl you had ever met. Granted, she had tried to warp your brain, but other than that and some questionable, borderline stalking behavior, Voso was a good person. Demon. A good demon. You scratched the back of your head.

“I’m not mad at you. I just… can’t this time. Tell you what, we can eat breakfast tomorrow and you can patch up any cuts I can’t reach.” You said.

Voso giggled a bit and hiccupped. She smiled and nodded. “Okay, it’s a deal.”

You returned her smile, and moved past her to get to your room while you still had some sunlight left.

~~~~~

Pacolo was on your bed reading your journal. Striding over to her, you snatched the book out of her hand and stuffed it into a satchel filled with everything you needed for the night.

“Hey! I was just getting to the good part!” grinned Colo.

“You can’t even read it.” You said. “Are you ready to go?”

“Always ready~” purred Colo. “All I have to do is zap us away when the goons get to close, right?”

“Precisely. Got enough juice? I snagged some supplement from the alchemy lab earlier.” You said offering her a small pouch.

“Eww, no thanks. I’ve got something better in mind.” She said sticking out her tongue and shoving the supplement back towards you.

“Colo, now really isn’t the time for any improvised magic tricks.” You stressed. 

“You’re no fun at all, you know that?” huffed Colo. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been putting in work to keep your pasty ass safe tonight.”

“Uh huh. And by “work” do you mean sleeping in an extra hour to save your energy?”

“Nope. For the past few days, I’ve been putting mana markers all over campus. All I have to do is hone in on one and we can teleport there for way less energy than it would normally take.” Said Colo.

“That’s… actually really smart.” You said incredulously.

Colo chuckled. “Make sure you tell Guyan that I’m as smart as I am beautiful.”

“Because Lord knows you won’t.” you said.

She snorted and hovered over to you. “So, how does this all start? Do you want to get out of here the second things get hairy?”  
You shook your head. “We’ll start things here. We’ll finish them elsewhere.”

Colo wiggled her fingers at you. “Ooh~ How cryptic!”

“Just be ready to go. When I give the signal, warp out of the room.” You said.

“Where do you want to go? Close by, or the other side of campus?” asked Colo.

“No, I mean YOU warp out of the room. Come back in when it’s over.” You said.

Colo looked at you pensively. “When it’s over, huh? You mean when you’re raped?”

“You’ll see what I mean. AFTER the big-ass explosion.”

“Explosion.” Said Colo flatly.

“Yeah.”

Colo glanced at the walls and ceiling. “…Is it safe to be in this room right now?”

“Probably. Unless I made a mistake. Then everyone in this wing is in danger. But nothing has exploded yet, so it’s probably stable.” You said confidently.

Shouldering your satchel, you walked over to the window and cracked the curtains. The last vestiges of sunlight were quickly fading beyond the horizon. They would be here soon.

“Are you nervous?” said Colo.

“How could I not be?” you said. You sat down on the bed and ran your hands through your hair.

“I don’t know, I think it’s exhilarating!” said Colo doing a loop-the-loop in the air. “A fight of passion! Of love! A clash of wills to determine who stands above whom!”

“It’s not much fun when your life is on the line.” You said.

“You’ll be fine. They want you to submit because they think your fragile. If you do start to overdose on mana, I’m sure they’d get you help. No one wants a dead husband after all. Except the undead… There aren’t any wisps coming after you, right?”

You gave her a dubious look.

“Right, well, in any event, I think you’ll be fine. Sure, you may be relegated to eating Rhodon’s cunt every day for the rest of your life, but at least you’ll be under the leather, thigh-high boots of someone who loves you.” Said Colo patting you on the back. 

“You always know just what to say to cheer me up.” You said sarcastically.

Colo’s ears perked up. She floated to the window and peered through the curtain.

“Uh oh…”

You pushed her aside and looked through. The first few monsters were gathered in front of the doors to the dorm. Most of them were in small groups, chatting or stretching.

“Shit. There’s a lot of them. There weren’t this many before…” you muttered.

“They aren’t all here for you, you narcissist. There’s a few dozen other guys in here waiting to have their balls drained too.” Said Colo.

An especially large crowd was congregating in the corner of the courtyard. Your suspicions were confirmed when a few of them looked at your window. One of them pointed to it and whispered something to the others. Rhodon stepped through the crowd and looked at you with a telescope. Collapsing it again, she signaled to an amazon and began to gesture to her.

Motion on the roof of the building opposite you caught your eye. For fuck’s sake. Maranth was sitting in a chair, watching your window. It looked like she had even splurged and brought a pair of opera glasses. She waved at you.

Bitch.

This was it. The last rays of day vanished, and the stars held dominion at last. The lamps on campus roared to life and the monsters below let out a howl of delight. There was a loud crack, and an unknown monster threw one of the doors into the courtyard. The others cheered and funneled into the building as fast as they could. From below, the first shrieks and squeals of the other students echoed up through the floorboards.

Rhodon’s crew waited patiently. You would have preferred it if they had just bum rushed you like the others and gotten it over with. But they were content to make you wait. All of them now stared up at your window, no doubt imagining what was to come. You swallowed the knot in your throat. What were they doing? Why weren’t they attacking?

At last, Rhodon waved the mob forwards. The beasts grinned and quickly trotted after their boss.

You whipped around to face the door. Would they sprint here once they were inside? Did they want to catch you off guard by changing their pace all of a sudden? 

The din of dozens of other men consummating their love made it impossible to tell where Rhodon’s raiders were by sound alone. They could be right outside for all you knew.

“Anon? Should I leave now?” asked Colo.

“Yes! Leave. Just be ready to come back!” you said.

Colo vanished. You took a deep breath and tried to steady your heart. Now wasn’t the time to have nerves; an errant shot could mean the difference between wife and death. Heh.

You used your boot to flip over the rug. Underneath was the magic circle that you had been working on for the better part of the week. Every drop of excess mana you had was poured into this thing before you went to bed at night. It made getting up in the morning hellish, but now it would pay off. Or meltdown and blow you to pieces.

Taking your position in the locus, you channeled a bit of mana to loosen the bindings on the well of energy. The hair on your arms raised as magic flowed through your body. Oh yeah, that’s the stuff. This might not get all of them, but trying to take as many out as possible when they were all clustered like this was your best option.

You felt them even before the wooden floors outside creaked in protest of the exorbitant weight it was forced to bear. A creeping malevolent presence getting closer and closer to your door. The couple next door slowed their pace, perhaps in awe of the unholy congregation now massing just outside their door.

Now that she was close enough, you could make out the clack of heels. Rhodon took one, two, three steps forward, and stood at your door.

You didn’t dare so much as breathe.

When she knocked on the door, you were tempted to just blow it and her away, consequences be damned. But you held back. Not yet. This was not the bellicose knocking that implied she was about to break the door down; this was a soft knock. Polite and cordial. Mocking.  
“Oh Anon~ We’re heeeerrrreee~ You’re going to be a dear and let us in, right?~” cooed Rhodon.

You inhaled sharply in spite of yourself.

Rhodon waited for a few seconds. “I KNOW you’re in there. I can HEAR your heart beating.”

To prove her point, she began to rap on the door in time with your pulse. You gulped.

She giggled. “Goodness! What a noise that was. Mmm… I can practically smell your fear from here… Gods, that’s hot. There really is nothing quite as satisfying as putting a man like you in his place.” Said Rhodon. A soft thud came from the other side of the door as she pressed herself against the wood. “Fuck… I need it! I need to see that face Anon! I have to see that pitiful look of yours! The look you’re going to give me as I take EVERYTHING from you! What’s it like?! Is it spiteful?! Determined?! Or have you completely lost yourself to despair and fear?! Your face, Anon! That sweet, craven face! I HAVE TO KNOW!”

Rhodon pounded on the door. The hinges groaned with each hit. A low rumbling accompanied it as the monsters outside began to chuckle and murmur amongst each other.

Soon, Rhodon’s pounding stopped.

“Enough of that, welp. Let me through!” bellowed a voice you didn’t recognize.

“I still get him first!” snarled Rhodon.

“You can have him first if you GET him first.” Growled the second voice.

A new set of hands tapped the door experimentally.

“There’s the spot…”

You nearly jumped out of the circle as a gigantic hand smashed through the wood near the handle. Splinters showered the floor. A horizontal crack spread across the door. The entire thing was now buckling in towards you. Her claws curled over the top of the door through the gap she had created between the top of the doorframe and the door itself. With a mighty grunt, she pulled the top half of the door down off the hinges.

And now you were exposed. Face to face with a manticore who looked ECSTATIC to see you. Rhodon was right next to her, trying to keep herself in the front of the pack. She let out a little moan upon seeing you and clasped her face. The other monsters looked at you salaciously.

Time to go.

Popping the rest of the seals in your circle, you opened the floodgates and drew upon the entirety of the power stored within it. Rhodon’s eyes widened as she realized what you were about to do.

“WARDS!”

You thrust your hands forward and bathed the mamono in magical flames. You had learned this technique from Zara. Apparently this was the spell of choice for dealing with large numbers of Order troops; a wide area of effect, capable of flowing into armor, and intimidating to look at. It had the added bonus of not having the kinetic impact of a conventional mana bolt. Which was important for you. You just need them unconscious, not turned into jelly.

The conflagration blew what was left of your splintered door away along with the manticore. Flames flowed out into the hall and over the other monsters. Screams echoed through the halls as mamono were caught in the arcane flames. Some of the magic slipped into adjacent rooms. Whoops. You’d have to apologize to the neighbors later.

In a matter of seconds, you had burnt through your stockpile of magic. When the sensation of fatigue began to tickle you, you knew that you were now relying on your own mana reserves. Cutting the spell off, you surveyed the damage.

Only a scant few mamono were on the floor. The majority of them were huddled behind a few magically gifted mamono who had shielded them from the brunt of the attack. One of the succubi who had been warding collapsed from the stress. Seeing the dearth of bodies, you froze. This was NOT good. You had expected only a handful of the raiders to make it through that.

“Ahhhh~ THAT, is the face I wanted to see~” said Rhodon stepping through the threshold. “What delectable despondency! And we haven’t even begun…” She took her whip off her hip and cracked it.

“You didn’t really think something like that would work, did you? Or did you really stake your life on trying the SAME trick that you’ve used every time you’ve been in trouble so far?” sneered Rhodon. “A biiigggg blast, and then what? Nothing.”

Rhodon cracked her whip next to your head. You blenched at the snap. Rhodon laughed.

“So much for that confidence! Now, SUBMIT!”

Colo’s torso popped into existence behind you.

“’Scuse me.” She said.

Rhodon glared at her. “Ahh yes, you. I don’t know why you’re aiding him, cat bu-“

Colo pulled you backwards in the middle of Rhodon’s monologue, and you fell through space. Nausea wracked your body. It felt like you were trapped in a blender. The kaleidoscope colors and imagery didn’t help; was this a wonderland thing or was all teleportation so unpleasant?

Your feet hit solid ground and you crumpled to the floor. Colo kept your torso propped up by holding her arms under yours.

“Some light show that was! I wasn’t sure if that was the thing or not, but it looks like I came at the right time.” Said Colo.

“What the hell did you think was going to happen?!” you asked.

“With you? I was waiting for the whole roof to come off.” Shrugged Colo.

You rolled your eyes. “We’ll wait here for now. I don’t think they know where we are.”

Some of Rhodon’s girls sprawled out into the courtyard. A burley succubus barked some orders and the henchwomen dispersed.

“They’ll find us soon. One of them is going to scent you out.” Said Colo.

“Ahh, but they still have to find a way up here once they do. Unless they can fly, we’re set.” You said.

“You know they can teleport too, right? It’s just more efficient since I set up the marks…” said Colo.

As if to prove her point, an ocelomeh battle-mage blinked onto the roof of your dorm. She surveyed the area. You dropped to the roof tile and pulled Colo down too. You should be safe like this; she was upwind of you.

“DO YOUR BEST, ANON!”

Maranth waved at you from a different rooftop. Monsters everywhere looked at her, then at your hiding place.

“Shit.”

“Should we go?” asked Colo.

You watched as the first few monsters reached the foot of the building you were at.

“Not yet. Let them climb. We need them as close as possible before we make the next jump.” You said.

Rhodon had other plans. Panting from her sprint, she cupped her hands and called up to you.

“This ends now, Anon!” She held something up.

“What the hell is that?” whispered Colo.

“I don’t know.” You said. Nothing good, that’s for sure.

“Recognize this? I bought it from a dear friend of mine: Madolotis! She doesn’t need this anymore now that she’s married!”

“Oh, it’s my mana.” You said.

“Isn’t that stuff strong? Shouldn’t we be worried?” hissed Colo.

“I don’t think so…” you said.

“Ironic, isn’t it? Now you’ll be undone by your own magic!” cackled Rhodon. “Kaloyaros!”

A dark priest stepped to the front of the throng next to Rhodon.

“Who the hell is that?” you asked.

“She came in seventh place in the magic competition; no one we want to trifle with. Now let’s get out of here!” insisted Colo.

“Hang on.” You said shoving her paws away. “I want to confirm something.”

“Have you given up? Are you going to surrender? I would start casting spells now if you don’t want to be obliterated!” said Rhodon.  
Kaloyaros pulled the stopper out of the flask and guzzled the contents. She grimaced and wiped her mouth on her wrist.

“Anon…!” said Colo.

You ignored her.

“Kaloyaros! Destroy them!” roared Rhodon.

The dark priest moaned. Arcs of mauve lightning shot from her hands as she struggled to maintain her balance. Her teeth slammed together as she trembled in ecstasy. Raising her hands ever so slightly, she unleashed a torrent of lighting against the building you were standing on. The spell never reached you, stopping at about the second floor. You could hear cries of protest from the floors below you as many a coitus was interrupted by the light show. Kaloyaros continued to spray lightning indiscriminately.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” shouted Rhodon.

Kaloyaros climaxed and collapsed into the dirt. Drool seeped from her smiling mouth as she twitched and spasmed.

Rhodon gently slapped her face. “Hey! What gives?! Get up! Tell me I didn’t spend all that money just for you to scorch a fucking BUILDING!”

The dark priest moaned.

“Fuck!” Rhodon stomped on her, squeezing a fresh trickle of liquid from between Kaloyaros’s thighs. “We’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Get him!”

Monsters still had to get onto the roof, but it Looked like that wouldn’t take as long as you expected either. A ghoul wedged her hand into a crack in the brick and performed an impressive dyno to work herself farther up the building. For some monsters, climbing wasn’t an issue. A falcon harpy dropped out of the sky at you, brandishing silver claws on her talons. You shoved her aside with a tendril of magic. She swore and flapped away.

An arrow colliding with your barrier almost knocked you off your feet. One of the amazons below was using a MASSIVE longbow to try and take you out from afar. The arrow she had hit you with was the size of a javelin.

“Okay, time to go.” You said. Colo grabbed you, and you fell backwards into the Wonderland tunnel again.

~~~~~~

Not having much dinner turned out to be the right choice.

After the fifth or sixth jump, you had hurled from the assault on the senses that was the Queen of Hearts’ dimension. How the hell did anything live there?! Even sex would be an ordeal within that funhouse from hell.

“Hang in there, Anon!” said Colo rubbing your back.

You wiped your mouth. “How much longer until dawn?”

“Uhh… A few hours, it looks like.”

Fuck. The rapists may not have been the brightest bunch, but they were tenacious and seemingly indefatigable. Sure, you were thinning their ranks by picking off a few of them from your vantage point every time you warped, but the ones you managed to take out were the ones who weren’t the problem. All you were doing now was ensuring that only the most brutal, cunning, and resilient monsters would be the ones crushing your torso with a leglock. 

With a groan, you stood up and looked around. Colo had taken you a far off practice field on the other side of campus. You took the lull in the action to eat a bite of fairy powder.

“Do you think you can hold out?” asked Colo.

“I don’t know. I was banking on most of them being knocked out by the initial blast. This was never meant to be an extended conflict.” You said.

“Just let me know if you want to give up. You can just pick a gal and I’ll warp her into your room for you.”

“After all that I’ve done? I think Rhodon would rape the shit out of me even if I was happily married. Never have I met someone as spiteful as that elf.” You said shaking your head.

A horn sounded in the distance. Those fucking orcs and their horns; why couldn’t they just shout like a civilized person? Or use a bugle?

“Anon… I’m starting to run out of marks too…” said Colo nervously. “They’ve been purging the ones we’ve visited already, and if they find any in their searches, I’m sure they’ll remove those too. I can do a few impromptu teleportations, but…”

You smiled at her. “Do what you can, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Colo giggled. “That’s pretty funny coming from the puke-stained guy I’ve been protecting all night.”

You blushed and tried to wipe away the stain on the collar of your shirt.

“… But I appreciate the sentiment. Maybe Voso isn’t so crazy to chase after such a weird guy after all.” Said Colo.

“I’m not that weird.” You said.

“A human protecting a monster? Sounds like some sort of fairytale to me. Why an Extremist would even humor the idea of a man putting his life on the line to protect his wife is beyond me. Maybe it’s a fetish thing…” said Colo rubbing her chin.

A low rumble heralded the return of the girls. In the distance, a plume of dust was wafting into the air behind a horde of angry mamono.

Colo took her position behind you as you waited for them to approach again.

“Back to work again, huh boss?” sneered Colo.

You rolled your eyes and readied the first bolt.

~~~~~

Colo collapsed on top of you. She wasn’t heavy, but in your ragged state, anything was enough to make breathing an ordeal.

“Colo!” you gasped. You shook her. She whined and rolled off of you. “Colo! Are you alright?”

“I think I’m at my limit…” she moaned.

This was BAD. Sure enough, the monsters had finally figured out that erasing the mana markers Colo had set up prevented you from back tracking. Even worse, some of the more innovative monsters had figured out that by keeping certain markers up, you would eventually warp TOO them. Two back-to-back ambushes had left both you and Colo covered in nicks and gashes. By the sound of it, Colo had used what was probably the last of her energy to plop you down on the roof of some building. Where you were, you couldn’t say. At least this roof was high enough to provide cover from the other rooves below.

“Sit tight, I’m going to take a look around.” You said.

Propping her up against the wall, you slid over to the edge of the roof and peered down.

No monsters below you, as far as you could see. None that were conscious anyways. By now there was a thin trail of unconscious women snaking around campus, roughly following the path you had taken from place to place. As it turns out, the monsters’ conniving tendencies had once again tilted odds back in your favor a bit. One of the high orc had decided that an extemporaneous mutiny against her sister would be a great way to wrest control of the tribe and keep you to herself. An especially limber oni that had been first to reach the roof numerous times had mouthed off to Rhodon, insisting that she be first to have a go at you. She got a dirk to the race for her compelling and staid argument. Others had given up or found other “prey” during the search.

There weren’t many left. But as they say: it takes one to commit unspeakable sex-crimes. You weren’t out of the clear until the last monster fell, or the sun rose. Even if it did, would Maranth cut them off?

Sighing, you took a long swing from your canteen. All you wanted to do now was sleep. Picking yourself up, you plopped down next to the dazed cat and rested your head against the cool brick. The cuts from the realms silver weapons you had incurred pulsed with heat. Taking a deep breath, you tried to focus on keeping your essence from spilling out. Dawn was still an hour or two away.

~~~~~~

Something nudged your foot.

You grunted and moved your leg a little. Repositioning your head, you tried to resume your nap.

The accoster kicked your leg again, this time with enough force to roll you sideways. You awakened with a start.

“Hello, Anon. Did you sleep well?” asked Rhodon.

You nearly choked on your breath as your body flailed in panic. Rhodon had you at the point of her sword before you could scramble to your feet. The rest of her rag-tag posse stood behind her in various states of dishevelment. A few were so exhausted that they opted to sit on the ground instead.

“Oh, don’t get up on my behalf! You’re just going to be on your back in a moment anyways.” She said.

You swallowed and stared down the blade at her. Her hair was coming out of the ponytail she had put it in earlier that night. The leather of her corset was frayed and worn in some places where you had hit her with spells or debris. Judging by the lassitude in her eyes, she didn’t have the energy to do anything too fancy. Right now, all Rhodon wanted was to rape you and go to bed.

“It’s been a hell of a chase, I’ll give you that. In fact, I might not have even found you here if it weren’t for a friend I picked up along the way.” Sneered Rhodon. She glanced behind her and motioned with her head. Some of the larger monsters stepped aside, and Voso strutted forwards.

A knot formed in your throat as you saw her. She started back at you impassively. All you could glean from her expression was muted contempt. 

“Mmm~ What a DELIGHTFUL face you’re making right now~” purred Rhodon. “How does if feel? To know that rejecting the person who wanted so desperately to help you led to your capture?”

She pushed the blade into your skin, slowly cutting your cheek. Voso squirmed a bit.

“What did I tell you, Anon? I told you time and time again that this was the ONLY way things would end. There is only one fate for a human: a loving husband of whatever monster chooses him.”

Rhodon pulled the sword back and lapped some of the mana off the blade.

“You think I don’t know that?” you croaked.

Rhodon’s eyebrows lifted at your response.

“Did you really think that I wasn’t aware of what I was getting myself into when I entered monster territory? I was IN human territory at one point. I could have just stayed there. But I didn’t. I came back in because I knew there was a monster out there waiting for me.”

You smiled and closed your eyes.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about who I want to marry. Too much time, honestly. Some days it feels like I’m expending all my energy just to keep up with the pace of things.”

You opened your eyes and looked up at the sky. The stars were beginning to fade.

“I know my wife is out there. And I know that she’ll love me just as much as I love her. She’s my partner, my lover, and someday she’ll be the mother of my children. That’s why she has to be perfect; I couldn’t forgive myself if I never reached her...”

Some of the monsters behind Rhodon stirred. Rhodon was unfazed by your speech.

“…And you’re not her.” You concluded. Readying a bold of magic, you tried to flick the elf away before she could react. Your cumbersome attempt at defiance was ended when Rhodon slashed your wrist with her sword. The mana you were channeling dissipated and you slumped back against the wall.

“I suppose your consistency is something to be lauded. A shame you couldn’t have been a bit wiser.” Said Rhodon. She stretched. Undoing the first few strings of her corset, she began to disrobe. “Don’t worry, I’ll whip you into shape. Pun VERY intended. This is all for your sake after all; I only want you to understand what you’re missing~”

Rhodon let the corset fall free, exposing her breasts. Your member was at full attention from the battering you had received and the sight of such a fine body. Rhodon may have been bat-shit crazy, but she was a looker.

A grunt and a thud was almost enough to pull your gaze away from the dark elf’s nipples. Rhodon turned around just in time to see one of the amazons collapse with a knife sticking out of her back. Voso pulled it free and thrust it into the throat of a nearby succubus.  
“You!” snarled Rhodon. “I knew you would try something like this!”

Voso kept slashing and blasting, using her magic to aid her in dismantling the last of Rhodon’s raiders. Tired as they were, the gang was giving her a real run for her money. Unlike the arena, Voso did not have the space to teleport and collect herself. Her skill with her knives was admirable, but the monsters she faced were not magic users; melee combat was their specialty. The gap in energy quickly narrowed as Voso desperately fought off attackers from all sides.

“The deal is off, demon! You should have just waited your turn like the rest of them!” shouted Rhodon. She pointed her hand at Voso as your blue-skinned savior flipped over a minotaur.

Straining, you peeled yourself off the wall and lunged towards Rhodon. It was a staggering, stumbling lunge, but you managed to hook the tips of your fingers into her skirt. You landed face first on the cold roof. Rhodon cried out in frustration as her shot went wide. She wrenched your hands free and shoved you away with her foot. You gasped through the blood trickling from your nose.

“If you want to bleed so bad, I’ll be happy to oblige you in a moment.” Seethed Rhodon.

Voso blinked away and reappeared directly in front of Rhodon. The elf balked as Voso stabbed at her. Parrying as quickly as she could, Rhodon stepped back to avoid the flurry of blows. The other monsters were now converging towards the three of you. With the last of your energy, you reached out with your magic and shoved the back of Rhodon’s knee.

The elf staggered, and Voso took her chance. Shoving Rhodon’s desperate swing aside, she thrust both daggers into her abdomen. Rhodon squealed and trembled as the silver pierced her. Pulling her knives free, Voso let Rhodon fall back onto the roof next to you. Her eyes started to glaze and she looked over at you. You stared back.

“I’ll send you a “save the date” card, bitch.”

Rhodon’s head lolled off to the side and her eyes closed. Voso wheeled around to face the incoming onslaught and collapsed to one knee. Her arms and legs were trembling so much she was having a hard time keeping her grip on the daggers.

A loud crack split the pre-dawn hours. It sounded like you were in the middle of a thunder cloud. Underneath the feet of the incoming monsters, a blinding pink light erupted from the roof. The attackers let out a panicked cry in unison before being blown away by the explosion. Dust wafted over you. Your coughing and Voso’s panting were the only discernible noises on the roof. 

The first streaks of lavender were working their way west. It would be day soon.

Voso sat down next to you. She tried to say something, but couldn’t get enough breath to say it.

“Later.” You slurred.

She nodded.

Fuck it. Rolling over, you made yourself as comfortable as you could given the circumstances and went to sleep.

~~~~~~~

“Rise and shine, Anon!”

Maranth’s booming voice roused you from your light sleep. You had been fading in and out of consciousness for a while now. The sun was up by now, and the daylight was making it hard to stay asleep.

You glared up at the dark valkyrie.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d make it.”

“Am I single…?” you asked.

Maranth laughed. “Of course! You saw what happened to the others yourself.”

“Where’s Voso?” you asked.

“She’s right next to you. Didn’t lay a finger on you.” Said Maranth.

Sure enough, Voso was curled up a few feet away from you. She had folded herself up so that her wings shielded her eyes from the affronting sunlight.

“And Pacolo?”

“Gone. Said something about making the breakfast special at some café.”

“I want breakfast…” you whined.

“Well you’re in luck! The cafeteria is serving extra large portions today.” Said Maranth.

“Great.” You rolled over and sat up. Your limbs still felt like jelly. “…I don’t think I can walk that far…”

“I’ll see if those succubi you always hang out with want to bring you something.” Said Maranth.

“Could you ask them to bring two portions?” you asked.

Maranth smiled. “Certainly. Oh! And check this out…” She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small rolled canvas. Unfurling it, you were met with the sight of an exaggeratedly muscled Rhodon standing on you while choking you with a whip. You were crying, and blood trickled down your face as the other monsters stared at you in the background.

“It would have been you if you had won. I mean, it looks like no one really WON, but I’ll be damned if I was just going to lose the deposit for the painting just because everyone ended up in a heap at the very end. And to be fair, I thought Rhodon was going to ride you so hard your balls fell off; she had you dead to rights for a minute there. I already have my copy, but I’ll let you decide what you want to do with this one.” She said tossing the painting at you.

“I don’t want that, give it to Rhodon or something.” You said.

Maranth shrugged and stuffed the painting down the front of Rhodon’s skirt. The dark elf moaned and pressed her hips against Maranth’s hand.

“I’ll tell the succubi to look for you here. Don’t get raped by any of the holdouts, okay?”

Maranth spread her wings.

“Maranth, wait!”

She looked back at you.

“Thanks for saving me. With that last blast, I mean.” You said with a smile.

She cocked her head. “That wasn’t me. Wasn’t it Voso burning off the rest of her magic?”

“I don’t think so…” you said.

Maranth shrugged. “Oh well. You can ask her when she waked up.” Flapping twice, Maranth took to the sky.

You hoped the succubi brought eggs…

~~~~~

Food never tasted so good. The chefs had really outdone themselves today. With savage abandon you wolfed down another slice of French toast. Or whatever the equivalent of France was called here.

The succubi had obliged your request to help you carry Voso back to your room. She was resting on your bed, slowly working her way through her own plate of food. Too bad your room was a mess. The door and half the doorframe were vaporized. Passing monsters were free to ogle at the strange congregation of monsters and two guys sitting in your room as you ate brunch.

“We were so worried!” said Decara.

“I can’t believe you made it.” Said Imaris. “Good thing I never made all those bets.”

“How did you do it?” asked Brez.

“Endurance, a LOT of mana shots, and luck. Mostly luck.” You grunted through a mouthful of food. “Barely got out. Voso saved me at the last second with some sort of trap.”

“Do you mean the spell at the very end?” asked Voso.

“Yeah. I was surprised that you were able to pull that off in your state.”

“I thought YOU did it. I was on my last legs.”

You frowned. It must have been Maranth after all. Though it was unlike her to be so humble…

“Say, Voso, I have to ask… When you were up there with the other monsters, what changed? I thought for sure you were going to… you know…” you asked.

Voso blushed. “It was my fault; I never should have used them. But after you rejected my help, I didn’t see any other way to save you from yourself. I mulled it over for a while and decided that if you were getting got anyways, I might as well be in on the take.”  
She took a sip of water. “At first, I wanted revenge. Rhodon always rubbed me the wrong way, but that night I understood what she was getting at. I’m an Extremist; and I’ll make no apology for that. Since I first met you, I never understood why you were so recalcitrant. “Why won’t he marry already? Why doesn’t he accept anyone’s advances?” I thought. That’s why I figured there was no harm in helping Rhodon out; you were traveling down a path of self-destruction, and it was up to us to stop you.”

Voso wiped her mouth and neatly placed her silverware on the tray. “I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of being a sister wife, but if that’s what it took to save you from your own suicidal tendencies, so be it. Until…” Voso squirmed. “…The others, they didn’t care about you like I did. When they talked about you, it was always about the things they would do TOO you, not for you. When I tried to explain to them what your culture was like, and what kind of person you were, they paid me no mind. They were singularly focused on devouring you. I couldn’t just let that happen.” Said Voso solemnly.

The succubi in the room sat patiently, waiting for her to continue. You would have liked if they had made themselves scarce, but they loved stuff like this.

“That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t… ‘finish the job.’” You said.

Voso smirked at you. “Did you want me too?~ I’d be happy to oblige if you’re feeling disappointed.”

You smiled nervously.

Voso chuckled. “I’m kidding. After I committed to fighting, I was still considering whether or not to ravage you while I had the chance. But it didn’t sit right with me; not after what you said. For the longest time I was worried that you were never going to get married because you weren’t looking for anyone.” She smirked. Reaching into your bag, she pulled out your journal.

“Hey!” you said. You sat up, but Voso pushed you back into the chair with magic.

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this, huh?” mused Voso flipping through the pages. Dozens of tables, comparisons, notes, thoughts, ideas and preferences of what or who your wife would be flapped past as Voso thumbed through the book.

“Can you read it?!” asked the motherly succ.

“What does it say? Tell us!” insisted the dumb one.

Voso handed it to them.

“Voso!”

“What?” she frowned. “They can’t read it.”

Decara gasped. “It’s his preference in women!”

“Holy shit! Make a copy, we can sell the information to the highest bidder!” said Imaris.

“You’ll do no such thing!” you snapped.

“Anon.” said Voso.

You looked at her. She stood up and folded her arms across her chest. “I can respect you wanting to make a choice, but as a member of the Extremists, I can’t let you carry on like this. I want you to make a pact with me.”

The succubi abruptly stopped clamoring over the journal.

“Huh?” you said weakly.

“Not a marriage pact. Not with me, anyways. I’ve taken some…’liberties’ and examined your medical reports. Right now, your body can handle copulation with most species near the top of your list. You need to get married as soon as possible; even if your body can’t handle the mana, you can still live with your fiancé until you can consummate the marriage.” Said Voso. “For that reason, you will make a pact with me: if you are not wed within half a year, I will use teletomancy to place markers on you for ANY of the species from your list.”

You gulped. “And if I don’t?”

Voso rested her palm on the hilt of one of her daggers. “Then you’ll be making a different kind of pact.”

“That’s… Not a lot of time…” you said. Getting to Zipangu was still the plan, but the trip alone could take months. Even when you got to the island, who knows how long it would take to find one of the monsters you were looking for?

“It’s all the time you’ll get.” Said Voso. She held up her hand and a piece of paper sprang forth from an explosion of flames. The only text on it was a single sentence in the middle of the page and a line underneath it. “Now choose.”

Taking a quill from your desk, you dipped it in your inkwell and scribbled your name on the line. The contract disappeared again in magenta flames. Voso inhaled and exhaled.

“I’m glad you were able to see reason.” She said. “There is always room for another in the fold of the Fallen God. When you marry, I hope that you will consider Her teachings.”

“I think I’ll stick to a more moderate religion, thanks.” You said.

Voso hmphed. “It’s NOT a religion, it’s a way of life and a doctrine of existence.” She huffed.

You smiled. “Thank you, Voso. For everything. I promise I’ll send you an invitation to the wedding.”

Voso smiled. “Do I really want to go? I mean, you DID say that you were going to invite Rhodon.”

“I think I can arrange for the mail harpy to lose it.” You said.

Voso shook her head and chuckled. Stretching, she picked up her tray. “I’m going to take a bath; I need to get all this soot off of me. Oh! And Anon…”

She grinned at you from the ruined doorway. “That list of yours? I saw where demons are. Which means that if you’re still hanging around here after six months, you’re fair game~”

Voso winked and wandered off, her tail swishing back and forth behind her.

“Wow…” said the dumb succubus. “That was cool!”

You nodded. “She’s something else alright… Hey, where’d the rest of your ilk get too?”

“They took the journal to Raigill for translation.” She chirped cheerfully.

“They WHAT?!”

“They took the journa-“

“For fuck’s sake…”

Dashing out the door, you tore down the hall after the succubi and Brez.

What a world. And now Voso had severely curtailed your options by imposing a strict time limit. Getting to Zipangu was now the priority. To do that, you would need money, protection, and connections. So much to do so little time… Somehow, you weren’t worried. Love would find a way.

You suddenly recalled a tune from Earth: The power of love. Gotta write that down when you get your journal back…

Humming the song, you wandered off to go find what was yours.

~~~~~~~~

A houri watched Anon as he burst into the classroom and demand his journal. The alien song he had been hummin had an enchanting quality too it. She would make sure that the gandharva would hear it later.

“Sister.”

The houri turned to a cupid. “Sister, is this really the will of Eros?”

“It is, Prenne. I shouldn’t have to tell you to have faith in the Lady.” Scolded the houri.

“My devotion is absolute.” Asserted the cupid. “But I know this business with the human to be needlessly convoluted; we have had ample opportunities to strike the spark of love within his heart, yet we have held our hand time and time again.”

“Too hasty! That’s the problem with you young ones.” Said the houri. “Love is not a race. A vintner who empties their cask to early will be left with a glass of disappointment.”

“Then when? When sister? How long must we wait?” insisted the cupid.

“Patience. It will not be long now. The pieces are in motion. He need only triumph over a few more obstacles.”

The houri pulled out a coiled red string. Holding it in her palm, she gently blew on it. On end lazily snaked upwards, and pointed itself at Anon. The opposite end likewise rose up and started worming its way east. Prenne watched as the slack in the middle slowly fed east.

“Can he make it? Already we have intervened; how can he vanquish what is to come without our help?!”

“He will grow stronger.” Said the houri. “You see his heart; it beats with single-minded determination. The strength he cultivates is all in the name of being able to reach the one he loves…”

She turned back to the window and watched him smack the cloying fingers of a succubus away with his journal.

“…Even though he has no idea who she is. Anon will be fine, Prenne. So long as love and the desire to be loved dwells within him, he shall walk with Eros.” said the houri, winding up the red string.


	38. Chapter 38

The past two months had been a blur. Your spartan education at Valisias Academy had been hellish; an incessant onslaught of harsh lessons delivered by teacher and student alike. More than once, you had almost been wifed by an especially cunning or powerful monster. Half a dozen of the brutes had conspired to claim you during your practical trial, and you had only made it out by the skin of your teeth.

But it had made you stronger. Stronger than you had ever thought yourself capable of being. Both your body and mind had been honed to peak condition. This world seemed less alien by the day. By now you had a firm grasp of the general history of the world and could now speak (apparently accented) Common. Rough Common, but the monsters didn’t seem to mind.

Things were looking up. Most of the monsters around you were married by now, and attacks were less and less frequent. There was still plenty of time to find a way to Zipangu. And now, you had the means to get rid of anything or anyone who stood between you and your wife. There was a Ryu out there with your name on her, and no force on heaven, Earth, hell, or any other weird dimension would keep you from her.

You had even invented a new spell! A brilliant mobility spell that utilized several spells working in tandem to launch yourself in a long arc. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if you were using a seesaw made of wards to launch yourself into the air. Which is exactly what you did. The idea had come to you after you had remembered Looney Toons and were writing down an entry for Wiley Coyote in your journal. With practice, you could adjust the angle of your launch and chain the spell together to bound hundreds of meters in a few seconds. Your magic instructor Zara had even gone so far as to call it “The stupidest Gods-damned thing I’ve ever seen. Just use the teleportation spell and stop flip-dicking around you troglodyte.” You called it mage jumping; name pending.

“Anon! Stop daydreaming and finish your reps!” shouted Gelvie.

Grunting, you snapped yourself out of your reminiscing and pulled your chin up over the bar again. Physical training was far less enjoyable and interesting than magic practice, but you couldn’t argue with the results. Your body was now a lean, mean, magic shooting machine; you were in the best shape of your life. Not that you could ever hold a candle to most monsters in a fair fight, but you had gotten pretty good at escaping grapples and running. 

Gritting your teeth, you finished your last pullup and dropped to the ground.

“Getting better, Anon.” said Gelvie.

“Thanks.” You said, flailing your arms to get some blood flowing into your enervated limbs.

“I didn’t say it was good, string bean. Anyways, the boss wanted to talk to you, said it was important.”

Gelvie sauntered off to go yell at some other students as you caught your breath. What did Maranth want this time?

~~~~~~

“Anon, come in. Have a seat.” Said Maranth. Her attitude had mellowed since you had ‘survived’ the Dash. She as still giddy to see a fight break out between you and any students, but you were experienced enough to overcome or evade most attacks without help from your friends.

“Always a pleasure, Maranth.” You said.

“Do you like to travel, Anon?” said Maranth, cutting right to the chase.

“We’re one sentence into this conversation and I already don’t like where this is going…” you said.

Maranth reached into the cigar box on her desk and pulled out the topmost smoke with a flourish.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked, waggling the bundle of demon realm herbs in front of your face.

“Something you’re about to blow in my face?”

“Yes. But it’s more than that.” Said Maranth. She rolled the cigar through her fingers. “THIS, is a hand rolled cigar made from the finest herbs and best smoke-leaf in the world. Made in the Kyriavalissa, the City of the Sun. It costs more than some of the shacks in this city.” She said giving it a sniff.

“What’s the occasion?” you asked. All this exposition was making you uneasy.

“It was gifted to me this morning by a gandharva this morning. You’ve been invited by the Pharaoh to her palace.” Said Maranth.

You blinked. “Huh?”

Maranth lit the cigar and inhaled. She let out an exaggerated moan and rolled her eyes as she exhaled the thick smoke into the stagnant air. “What do you mean ‘huh?’ I mean you got an invitation.”

“By the Pharaoh?” you said.

“Not THE Pharaoh. There’s a few of them. But the others rule over relatively unimportant oasis towns and minor cities. Kyriavalissa is the only city that matters in the Capsalisma desert. I suppose that WOULD make her THE Pharaoh in a sense…”

“How much trouble am I going to be in if I decline? I’m on a bit of a time crunch here…” you said. There were only about four months left to get halfway around the world, and you hadn’t even figured out a way to get out of town. Even after you had saved up some money doing jobs and selling supplement (which you were no longer allowed to do after a phantom had used the boost to force a town square into a musical performance) was hardly enough to make it to the next city. Some monsters outright refused any payment that didn’t involve sex or marrying their daughter.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Never met the woman. Not too many travelers are willing to make the journey. She said she’s sending one of her viziers as well. An anubis named Tsakali.” Said Maranth.

“The journey can’t be that long if she’s already sent someone.” You said.

“It takes about three weeks to get to Kyriavalissa from here.” Said Maranth blowing another cloud of smoke at you. “…In good conditions.”

“Three weeks?! I don’t have time to wait six weeks to go on some sightseeing tour of a desert.” You said.

“You misunderstand. The caravan dispatched to collect you, assuming you accept, is a few days away.”

You snorted. “Still, I don’t have time for a vacation.”

“You want to get to Zipangu, right? Kyriavalissa is a major port city. You could sail all the way from the southern coast to Zipangu in a month.” Said Maranth.

You perked up, but caught yourself. “That seems… too easy.”

Maranth grinned. “I’m guessing that the Pharaoh has more than mere platonic intentions for you. From the letter she sent, she is very interested in your world. Be that means to woo you into bed or genuine fascination, I can’t say.”

You sighed. “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice.”

Maranth nodded. “I thought so. You always did have a thing for being bossed around. I’m sure that the Pharaoh will keep you happy.”

“Shut up! I do not have a ‘thing’ for being ordered around. I’ll just go to Kyriavalissa, tour around for a few days, let the Pharaoh know what my intentions are, and head for Zipangu.”

“Mmhmm.” Said Maranth, smiling around her cigar.

“…I’m going to pack my things.” You said curtly.

“Send me an invitation to the wedding~” called Maranth as you left.

~~~~~~~

Over the next few days, you quietly made your preparations for your departure. Withdrawing all the money you had in the bank in discreet amounts when different tellers were present, buying some light clothing that would be suitable for the desert in different shops, buying another empty book and some ink… all without raising suspicion. The worst case scenario would be the monsters of Valisias discovering your plans for egress. Right now, they were content to leave you be, occasionally probing for weakness or attempting to rape you if you looked vulnerable. The threat of you leaving would be enough to create a mob of monsters hellbent on keeping you from escaping.

“Are you alright, Anon?” asked Decara.

You snapped your gaze up from the peas on your plate. “Yeah! I’m fine!”

“Are you sure? Seems like something has been bothering you for the past couple of days.” Said Imaris.

“Is it another rapist?” asked Brez.

“No, it’s nothing. Really. Just thinking about the future, that’s all.” You affirmed.

“Have you decided who to marry yet?~” asked the motherly succubus.

“Sort of…” you said.

“Who is she?” asked the dumb succubus. “Is she-“

The simpleton’s inquiry was interrupted by a bout of fanfare from the entrance to the cafeteria.

“CONGRATULATIONS, ANON!” shouted Maranth.

Oh Lord, please no.

You watched in horror as Maranth’s procession of confetti throwing succubi made their way to your table, followed by a massive cake decorated with the phrase “We’ll miss you.”

“So sad that you’re leaving us and never coming back.” She said slapping your back. “Yep, off to foreign lands to find a wife. Shame we couldn’t see you married here. In Valisias. ‘Cause you’re leaving. Forever.”

The cafeteria was so quiet you could hear the rustle of confetti hitting the table. Maranth’s grin made any look Pacolo had ever given you look like the warm smile of a chaste maiden.

“Anyways, the faculty and I thought it would be nice to put together a little something for you as a going away present. Hope you enjoy the cake! We’ll all be up to see you off tomorrow. Thanks for all your hard work here at the Academy!~” Maranth waved over her shoulder as she walked out of the canteen.

A bead of sweat rolled down your brow as every unmarried monster bored holes into you with their stares.

“Anon…” said Decara quietly. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us?”

You gulped. “Help yourself to a slice of cake?”

A steak knife whizzed past your head. Holy shit, that wasn’t realm silver either; that was an actual cutting implement. An amazon across the room readied another knife.

“Like hell you’re leaving!” she bellowed.

The cafeteria erupted as a tsunami of projectiles and magic were hurled your way. Every monster who had held out hope they would be the one you married was now intent on having her plans realized ahead of schedule. Whatever finesses they had meticulously organized over the past few months had come crashing down; their hands were forced.

Dragging the succ squad over to your side of the table with magic, you flipped the entire bench (monsters and all) towards the barrage. Knives, spears, and even a meat cleaver penetrated the thin wood, stopping halfway to their intended target.

“WHAT THE FUCK, ANON!” screamed Imaris.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?!” said Decara.

“I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT, OKAY?!” you shouted.

A minotaur vaulted the table and you slammed her into a wall.

“Where the hell are you even going?” asked the motherly succ, cradling Brez against her chest.

“The desert, I got an invite from the Pharaoh. I needed to get to a port city anyways, so I figured, why not?” you said.

“Which desert?” asked the dumb succubus.

“I don’t fucking know! It started with ‘Cap-‘ something. The big one down south!” you said, diverting a bout of flames away from your wooden barricade.

“That’s risky. There’s a good chance you’ll be taken out in the open sands.” Said Brez, surfacing from his squishy succor.

“MORE RISKY THAN THIS?!” you shouted.

An especially talented ocelomeh shaman cast a spell that threatened to break through your ward. Shoving the spell aside, you misdirected it into an adjacent wall before you were zapped.

“Point taken. Guess you’d better go pack, huh?” he said.

“Already done.” You said.

“Ohh, clever. I’m surprised that you got this far without causing a fuss.” Said Imaris.

“And I’m hoping to get a bit further. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” you said, readying yourself to flee the warzone.

“Wait!” cried the dumb succ.

You looked askance at the cowering floozy.

“Can I have your slice of the cake?” she pleaded.

The other succubi looked at her with pity. You didn’t dignify her question with a response before sliding out from behind the table and breaking for the door.

~~~~~~~

Slamming the door to your room shut, you magic’d your bed against the doorframe. Your pursuers quickly arrived, and began to pound against the thick wood. Thank goodness you had hired a carpenter in town to build you a custom door; this thing was dense enough to stop an ushi even without the defensive seals that were carved into it.

Dragging out your bags, you began to throw the last of your clothes in. Based on what Maranth had said, your escort would be here tomorrow. If you could trust her. Maranth wasn’t above lying about your departure date to raise some hell; it was her favorite pastime after all.

“Anon!”

You shrieked and blew your window out with a blast of magic as Pacolo materialized in your room behind you. She must have anticipated your shock, as she only warped herself in from the waist down.

“Don’t fucking do that!” you shouted.

Pacolo’s torso appeared and seated itself on her waist. “Sorry! I wasn’t thinking. What’s happening? I heard the blast all the way from the training fields.”

“I’m about to leave town. Maranth decided to wish me farewell. A day early in front of a quarter of the students.” You said.  
“You’re leaving?” said Colo. Her ears drooped.

“I never planned to stay here forever, you know.”

“I know, but this is so sudden. Where are you going?”

“Desert. Big city with the Pharaoh.”

“Kyriavalissa?! Wow! Who’s cunt did you lick to make that happen?” asked Colo, hovering over to you.

“The Pharaoh is probably trying to get in my pants. My plan is to pass through the city and hitch a ride to Zipangu.” You said.

Colo pouted. “Typical! You get to go to the City of Sun, and all you want to do is run to the wharf.”

“A city is a city. I’m not there to sight-see.” You said.

“But it’s one of the most romantic cities on the planet! I’ve always wanted to go.” Said Colo.

“You can hitch a ride, if they’ll let you.” You said.

Colo shook her head. “I’m busy with work.”

Fair enough. After a month of coaching, Colo had miraculously overcome her anxiety and managed to marry Guyan. The sight of his mother crying at the wedding was something you would never forget. And the catering? To die for. Though they both considered you a friend and the one who brought them together, you hadn’t seen much of them since. Guyan’s mother had conscripted her as a waitress at the restaurant, and they were often too ‘busy’ after work to interact with you.

“Oh! Speaking of which, is it alright if I bring Guyan?” asked Colo.

“Sure.” You said, slamming your trunk shut.

Colo disappeared, and returned with her husband in tow a moment later.

“Anon! How are yah? Haven’t seen you in a while.” He said.

You glanced enviously at Colo’s tail wrapped around one of his legs. Getting to that Ryu couldn’t happen fast enough. Not that there was any guarantee that your body could survive that much mamono mana…

“And you won’t see me at all in a day or two.” You said.

“Colo told me you were leaving. Sorry to see you go.” Said Guyan solemnly.

“Yeah, I’ll miss this place. But I’ll come visit, I promise. I couldn’t stay away from your mom’s cooking forever.” You said.

Guyan laughed. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear. You’d better move fast though; if she hears her favorite display is trying to skip town, she’ll probably hang you from the chandelier.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to call in a favor from you two and have you run interference.” You joked.

Colo squeezed his arm. Guyan gave you a melancholy smile. “Tomorrow, then?”

“Allegedly. But the date is predicated on Maranth telling the truth and me surviving the night. I feel like it’s the Dash all over again…”

“You can stay at our place for the night.” Offered Colo.

“No need. I should be alright here. If the sound of explosions gets closer, that means I’ve taken you up on your offer.”

Colo wiped her eye. “We’ll really miss you.”

You felt a bit teary yourself. It was so hard to find platonic friends in this world. “So will I.”

“Tell you what, as one last thanks for setting us up together, how about we make you breakfast tomorrow?” said Guyan.

“Couldn’t think of a better parting gift.” You said.

Guyan rubbed Colo’s back. “Then we’d better get to the market. I want to make sure we have enough eggs.”

Colo nuzzled his chest. “See you tomorrow Anon!”

The couple popped out of existence, leaving you alone in your room. Even in a world of pleasure, goodbyes were still painful…

~~~~~~

You hardly slept at all. An hour or two of fitful sleep was all the monsters allowed you. In the early hours of the AM, they had finally decided to cooperate to get you out. The gaping hole in your window you had filled with your desk didn’t help either. By the time the sun rose, there was a pile of monsters outside your door and another heap under your window. Doing one last sweep of your seared, half-burnt room, you stepped over the unconscious harpy you had used as a pillow and through the splintered remains of your door. Breakfast couldn’t come soon enough.

~~~~~~

“You made it!” exclaimed Guyan.

You collapsed onto the bar. Wordlessly, Guyan slid a cup of demon-realm coffee (who knows what plant it came from, it was coffee to you) your way. Grunting your appreciation, you warmed your hands on the hot ceramic.

Colo floated out of the kitchen with a steaming plate of food. She looked cute in that apron, Guyan was a lucky guy. “I’ve seen giant slugs with more energy than you.”

“Whatever they take me in or on, I hope it’s something I can sleep in.” you mumbled.

You ate your meal slowly as you chatted with the couple. The restaurant always had a cozy atmosphere, and the absence of other patrons in these pre-business hours made it even more homely.

Downing the last of the dark, bitter liquid. The caffeine was now coursing through your veins, and you felt reinvigorated. Take that, sleep deprivation!

“Anon.”

You blenched, knocking over your empty mug as Guyan’s mother made herself known. How the hell did someone with claws on their feet move so quietly?

“You leaving?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Mmm.” She grunted. Extending her arm to you, she offered you a clawed hand. “Thank you. For your patronage, and for helping my son to find happiness.”

You clasped her hand and shook. Her face remained stoic, but you could hear a tint of sadness in her words.

Looking past her, you noticed the monsters on the street behaving strangely. Instead of the regular bustle you had become accustomed to, the denizens of Valisias were still this morning. They lined either side of the street, looking down the avenue at something.

“What is it?” asked Colo.

“I think my ride might be here…” you said.

Shouting erupted from the street. Walking over to the front window, you arrived just in time to see a woman swaddled in bandages and ornate golden armor take down a minotaur twice her size with a kick and swipe of the crook she was carrying.

“That’s them alright…” said Colo.

The mummy glanced up at you in the window and did a double take. She shouted something in a language you didn’t understand down the street.

“Damn, do they not speak Common in Kyriavalissa?” you asked.

“Everyone speaks Common. But that doesn’t mean they speak it well. Or much of it for that matter.” Said Guyan’s mom.

Rummaging through your bags, you pulled out the amulet of articulation and slipped it on.

“Aww, but you’re so much cuter when you have an accent.” Said Colo.

“They can hear the accent after I make my introduction. I don’t want to botch my first impression.” You said.

orders for the nearby monsters to clear the area. A moment later, a massive carriage rolled into view.

Guyan’s mother whistled. The thing must have been nearly four meters tall and wide. Unlike any other coaches you had ridden in, this one stretched out beyond a square shape, giving it an appearance more like a train car than a stagecoach. Every inch of the monstrous carriage was ornately carved and some of it gilded. A painting of a woman holding the sun in her palm and a sword in her other hand took up most of the side walls under the window.

Two mummies scrabbled over and slid a set of folding steps out from under the car. Standing on either side of the steps, they stood at attention, awaiting for whatever came next.

The door to the carriage swung open. An anubis stepped out, clothed in glistening scale armor. Her helmet was made in the likeness of a jackal, making her look like her divine counterpart on Earth. The lapis lazuli eyes were outlined with electrum. One of her paws rested on the pommel of the khopesh hanging at her side. This must be the boss.

You gulped. The Pharaoh had obviously spared no expense in power or pay to put on such an extravagant display. And here you were, covered in soot and grime, wearing travel clothes that looked like they had been through a paper-shredder. Too late to buy a suit now…

Grabbing your things, you sallied forth to meet your surety.

Mummies, ghouls, lamias, and other desert monsters had formed a perimeter around the café. It felt as if you were breaking some unspoken taboo by opening the door and stepping out into the tension. The monsters of Valisias murmured and whispered amongst themselves as you approached the carriage. Should you even approach? Were they supposed to come get you? Should you introduce yourself? Since they came to you, did that mean you were technically a host?

Your apprehension was mercifully relieved as the Anubis stepped down onto the muddy street and strode towards you. Even the way she walked was stiff and officious. The mummies guarding the steps broke from their post to walk beside her, spears in hand.

As they stood before you, you were taken aback by the size of the anubis. You had always pictured them as more average sized monsters; beasts meant for menial bureaucratic bean counting. This one stood a few inches higher than you, her height amplified by her cold and unflinching metal visage. She unfurled a rolled papyrus scroll and began to read.

“Anonymous the human…” she boomed. “You have been summoned to her Majesty the Pharaoh Nefkara, Queen of the Sun, Ray of Truth, Light in the Darkness, Heiress of Order, and Vanquisher of Sin.”

You squirmed as the titles rolled out. You REALLY should have sprung for a suit…

“Will you answer her summons?” asked the anubis.

“I will.” You said. It was pathetically quiet, but all the gold and ceremony really did do a good job hammering in just how much of a peasant you were compared to the Pharaoh.

The anubis nodded. “Then come.”

The anubis did a sharp about face and walked back to the carriage. The mummy soldiers stood on either side of you, directing you towards the steps as well.

“Anon!”

You looked to the sky to see Brez and his wives descend from the sky. Voso was with them as well. This was to the extreme displeasure of the harpy guards, who forced them to land outside the perimeter with the rest of the monsters. 

“Wait! I need to say goodbye.” You said to the anubis.

She stared at you through her helmet. “Make it quick.”

You dashed to the edge of the circle where your friends were.

“We’ll really miss you!” said Decara.

“Thanks for everything. I really mean it.” Said Imaris.

“You’ll be sure to let us know if you come to visit, right?” asked the motherly succubus.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for all of you.” You said.

“Take care, Anon.” said Brez. You reached through the line to shake his hand. The guards flinched, but allowed him to finish.  
The poor dumb-cubuss was crying. “I-I saved you a piece of cake…” she said, holding aloft a mushy pile of crumbs and icing. “But, but, it…”

You smiled. “It’s alright. You can have it.”

Her lip quivered and she broke down into tears. Through heaving sobs, she finished off the last of the cake. “T-thank you for- for always being nice to me. Even though I’m not smart…”

Voso pushed her aside impatiently. “So…”

You were at a loss for words too. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Still going for Zipangu?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm.”

She seemed rather aloof. Which was never good when you were dealing with a demon.

“I’ll come back to visit.” You offered.

“I’m sure.” Said Voso.

You sighed. “No matter what you think of me, I’ll always be grateful for your help.”

Voso pursed her lips. She swallowed and looked around at the mummies, the dirt, everything but you.

“Goodbye, Voso.” You said.

She smiled. “For now.”

Lunging through the mummies, she gave you a quick hug before wheeling into the sky and shooting off over the eves. You shook your head. Who knows what she would do now? Whatever it was, she was up to no good.

With all your loose ends tied up, you clambered up the wooden steps and boarded the carriage.

~~~~~~~

The interior of the wagon was just as luxurious as the outside implied. On one side, there were two benches facing each other for sitting. A small folding table could be extended to rest in the middle. Opposite the side with the benches, a small bed was separated by a thin curtain. You could tell just by looking at the fabric adorning the mattress that it would be magnitudes more comfortable than the lumpy slab you had been sleeping on here in Valisias. Everything oozed decadence; even the chandelier was crystal.

“Don’t dawdle, come in. Sit.” Said the anubis.

You placed your bags by the small dresser near the bed and took a seat opposite the anubis on the benches. She pulled off her jackal helmet and sighed in relief as she shook her straight, sable hair free. Her turquoise eyes warmed and she gave you a disarming smile as she relaxed into her bench.

“Apologies for the brusque introduction. Personally, I would have preferred if we had taken under less conspicuous terms, but the Pharaoh demands these theatrics. She rules well, but that doesn’t stop her from prioritizing panache over prudence on such occasions.”  
You waited for her to continue.

“Ah! By the sun, where are my manners. My name is Tsakali. Vizier to her Highness, and High Judge of Kyriavalissa.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Vizier. I am Anonymous, of Earth.” You said, doing your best to sound as formal as possible in despite not having a title to your name beyond ‘He with a good ass.’

Tsakali smirked. “You are just as strange as all accounts describe you: not quite albino, but unlike any other human I’ve ever seen. Her Highness will be thrilled to make your acquaintance.”

You relaxed a bit. When an anubis had popped out, you had been worried that the whole ride would be spent in silence, watching her do paperwork while you sat quietly in the corner. How wrong you were; there was even a fully stocked bookcase bolted to one wall.  
Tsakali continued her inspection of you without trying to hide her curiosity. She cocked her head when she noticed the amulet hanging around your neck.

“That is a translation artifact, no?” she inquired.

“It is.” You said.

“Would you be willing to speak a few words for me in your own language? Her Highness has mandated that the court be at least partially literate in your strange script. She is eager to hear it spoken aloud.” Said Tsakali.  
You had learned a long time ago that the best way to get monsters to stop asking you to say things in English was to just say it. If you didn’t, they wouldn’t stop asking. Or they would just take it and make you beg for it in English. Much less humiliating to speak on your own terms. Pulling the necklace off, you greeted her again.  
“Good day, Tsakali.” You said.  
She giggled. {I see! It really is a strange sound. Say something else!}  
You gawked at her, unsure of what she had just said. Whatever language she spoke, it wasn’t Common. She gestured for you to continue.  
“I shall be sure to convey my gratitude to the Pharaoh when we arrive in Kyriavalissa.” You said.

Tsakali gave a small clap. You put your amulet back on.

“Very interesting! Her Highness has been trying her best to speak your language based on the books she has obtained about you and any visiting scholars she can coax into the palace. Suffice it to say, I think she will be disappointed to find how little all her tutelage has done for her grasp of the language…”

“If she can read more than a sentence, I’ll be impressed.” You said with a chuckle.

“She’s read the book you published in collaboration with the College of Admaz on your language and culture cover to cover a dozen times. To say she is fascinated by the concept of your world and presence here would be an understatement.”

Maybe this was a bad idea after all… You had already dealt with several “earth-aboos” in your travels already. Dealing with all your “biggest fans who are the only one who REALLY gets you” was already painful enough, but at least they were diminutive nerds or respectful scholars. Most of them anyways. There had been that one harpy that had tried to bluff her way into your pants by pretending to know all about Earth. THAT had been an entertaining conversation. Needless to say, a Pharaoh was neither dork nor bookworm. If she had the gall to send an armored convoy to pick you up in broad daylight in the middle of a town known for churning out mercenaries, slavers, soldiers, and adventurers, she probably wouldn’t mind a little sexual assault.

“Oh, don’t fret. I assure you, Her Highness is disciplined enough to restrain herself. You will be treated with the utmost respect while you are residing in Kyriavalissa.” Said Tsakali.

You nodded. This anubis was good at reading people. Maybe they were all like that. They had presided over judgment of souls on Earth, it stood to reason that some kernel of that keen arbitration and assessment of one’s true thoughts should carry over to this world.  
“This trip will take about three weeks, right?” you asked.

Tsakali nodded. “Roughly. We were ordered to retrieve you as fast as possible to ensure your safety. Navigating these foreign lands is arduous, but one we reach the rim of the Capsalisma desert we will be secure from both vagabond and obstruction.”

“Is it really that hard to travel around the continent?” you asked.

Tsakali snorted and scrunched her face. “This land is so soggy! We were delayed by two days because some of our chariots became mired in mud. On the road! To think that you wet-landers allow your transportation networks to fall into such sorry states.” She fumed.  
“How is moving through mud any different than moving over dunes?” you asked.

Tsakali wagged her tail. “Dunes are easy. Just attach the proper skids, know where the packed sand is, and how to read the winds.”  
Of course, how foolish of you. The last few houses of Valisias flew past as you left the city proper and entered into the sea of surrounding farms. You had survived all the trials Valisias had thrown at you, even when most monsters thought you would crumble.  
“Feeling homesick already?” mused Tsakali.

You frowned. Again with the cold reading…

“I haven’t been ‘home’ in a long time.” You said. “Haven’t had one in just as long. I miss the people I meet and the places I’ve been to, but not enough to keep me grounded.”

“You travel often, hmm?” said Tsakali.

“Yeah.”

“Does the thought of settling down scare you?” she asked.

You looked out the window. There was a whole world out there to explore. You would be remiss to not see all it had to offer; but you did yearn for someone to experience this wonderful life with.

“I’d love to settle down. But not yet. I still have things I need to do.” You said. Mentioning that you were in dire need of a wife to the Vizier of a probably single Pharaoh would be rash.

“Of course. You are young. I understand.” Said Tsakali. “I just hope you don’t leave our fair city too soon. There are so many wondrous things to see!”

“I’ve actually been curious about Kyriavalissa. Normally I try to do some cursory research on the places I’m traveling, but I didn’t have much opportunity this time…” you said, running a hand over a tear in your shredded clothes. “Do you mind telling me a bit about the history of Kyriavalissa?”

Tsakali’s eyes lit up and you realized that you may have made a mistake. Her tail was now wagging hard enough to make an audible thump against the cushions she was resting against.

“Why I would be DELIGHTED to tell you a bit about the city.” She said, puffing her chest out a bit.

You unfolded the table between the benches and pulled out your journal. Tsakali’s eyes darted down and for a moment you saw a visage of malicious greed. Then it was gone, just as quickly as it came, and she was looking at you expectantly. Dipping your quill into the inkwell, you began to jot down some notes as Tsakali began her lecture.

The wheels of the wagon rumbled quietly as she spoke, your flamboyant procession carrying you south towards the scorching sands of the Capsalisma desert.


	39. Chapter 39

You watched out the window in morbid fascination as Pharaoh Nefkara’s troops “negotiated” their way through a centaur blockade. The poor fools had seen the glitz of your carriage and decided that it was payday. Already a foolish decision considering you had a small army of special forces, but in all fairness, there HAD been a lot of centaurs and the chariots couldn’t be used after they had blocked the road with fallen trees. A normal caravan would have surrendered or been peppered with arrows until they capitulated. It even seemed like Tsakali had seriously contemplated paying them off in the name of punctuality. But then one of them saw you and decided that she wanted to get paid in a DIFFERENT way.

Now, horse woman were running about in chaos as the soldiers swiftly routed them. No serious wounds, by the look of things, but the way Tsakali had put her khopesh through the first centaur didn’t look very pleasant…

The last of the beast women retreated into the forest and Tsakali returned to the carriage.

“To think that wet-landers let their roads be overrun with scum like this!” she said, removing her helmet. “Though I hesitate to call these swaths of muck ‘roads.’”

You nodded. It seemed a bit unfair to get uppity about the road conditions when Tsakali had told you in no uncertain terms that all roads in the Capsalisma desert were loose paths of sandstone and packed dunes. Apparently you had to time your travels just right to make sure the dunes wouldn’t be blown onto the roads when you were scheduled to be crossing them.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry that you had to see such barbarism…” said Tsakali.

“I’ve seen worse.” You shrugged. The fights in the canteen at Valisisas were more savage than this slaughter. Realm silver wounds just closed up; bare hands left bruises and lumps that lasted for days.

Tsakali’s ears perked up. “Truly? I suppose that your presence would attract some especially… voracious suitors…”

Tsakali sat down across from you in the carriage’s sitting area. The car lurched, and the procession continued. You opened your journal and scribbled a quick anecdote about the fight. There wouldn’t be much else to do this trip besides write and read. The anubis’ curiosity was palpable. She kept her head twisted to the side, looking out the window, but her eyes kept darting back to the open pages.

“Is there something you’d like to know?” you asked.

Tsakali blushed and cleared her throat. “No! I was just curious, that’s all. You’re always scribbling away in that journal. What do you write about?”

“What I see, things about my world, future plans… Anything I feel like, I suppose.” You said.

Her tail swished behind her. “May I see it?”

You hesitated. Most of the time, you were kind enough to let a monster take a brief look at your journal, just to satisfy their curiosity. However, your generosity was always predicated on the fact that no one could understand what was written in it; even if the monster was to steal the book, it would be worthless to her. But something about Tsakali’s glinting turquoise eyes bespoke a hidden depth. There was hunger in those eyes.

“Are you married?” you asked abruptly, laying one arm over the journal.

Tsakali’s eyes widened. Then she laughed and got up from the bench. Grabbing a long pole from beside the door, she tapped on a panel near the ceiling on the far wall of the carriage. A moment later the wooden panel opened, and the carriage driver stuck his head through.

“Something wrong, babe?” he inquired to the anubis.

“No, sweetie. I just wanted to introduce you to our guest, Anon.” she said, gesturing to you.

The driver pulled his goggles up to his forehead and smiled at you. “It’s an honor to meet you! I promise the ride will get smoother once we hit dunes.”

You nodded at him, taken aback by the whole situation. “Yeah, thanks for the ride.” You said.

“Just holler if you need anything!” he said. The panel slid shut again and Tsakali retook her seat.

“I’m sorry for making you nervous. Have no fear; the Pharaoh ensured that only married mamono were sent to retrieve you.” Said Tsakali. “Idrial meant what he said too. He was a merchant driver before I married him. I’ve never met a better navigator and caravanner in my life.”

You relaxed. Traveling in groups like this always made you nervous. You never knew which monsters could be trusted, and which were only ostensibly kind.

“That’s his name? Idrial?” you smirked.

“Yes, wh- Oh! He forgot to say his name, didn’t he? I apologize he get’s so excited sometimes. Honestly, I don’t know how he would find his own pants if I didn’t keep his things organized.” Said Tsakali.

You smiled. It never failed to amaze you how every monster couple you came across did their absolute best to support each other. Even their spousal kvetching boiled down to worry about their partner. You wrote down Idrial’s name in your journal to avoid an awkward reintroduction later. Tsakali watched you hawkishly. You glanced up at her. 

“So… May I see it?” asked Tsakali sheepishly.

“I can just answer any questions you have.” You said dismissively. “After all, that would save you all the headache of translating the writing.”

Tsakali smiled. “Oh, I’m afraid I can’t read your language. I merely wanted to see what it looked like.”

You frowned. Tsakali didn’t seem like the kind of person who WOULDN’T know the language of a guest she was sent to fetch. The lecture she had given you about Kyriavalissa had lasted for HOURS, delving into such minute details including the fashion of the era and the names of the Pharaoh’s pets through out the dynasties. She had also said that Pharaoh Nefkara had been studying your culture intently. Tsakali had demonstrated her interest in your language when she first met you. But was that really the extent of her knowledge of English?

“If you’re not comfortable, I understand. It’s a journal after all. I would be nervous if anyone flipped through my thoughts as well.” Said Tsakali.

You pursed your lips and nodded. It really was impossible to hide anything from this dog…

“Say, all this talk of writing reminds me: you don’t know any Capsalisman dialects, do you?” said Tsakali excitedly.

“Afraid not.” You said.

“Not surprising. The civilizations in the Capsalisma are very insular. If a city doesn’t fall near a major trade route, chances are that they never see any outsiders other than the slave merchants and wandering bachelors.” Said Tsakali.

You gulped at the mention of slavers. Tsakali had said that unlike other parts of the continent, there were almost no human settlements in the Capsalisma save for a few ports along the coast. If a monster wanted a husband, it came down to buying one from the slaver caravans, seducing one of the traveling merchants, or relying on Eros missionaries to send letters to bachelors outside the desert in the hope that they visit. You thought the last one sounded pretty romantic, even by Earth standards. Apparently, the Temple of Eros even footed the bill to transport the men to whatever dinky oasis town the girl hailed from.

“We can practice a few basic phrases and words, just so you won’t be totally lost if you ever lose that trinket.” Said Tsakali. “As for writing, that might take a bit more time…”

“Let me guess, hieroglyphs?” you said.

Tsakali grinned. “I hope all that doodling made you better at drawing.” Said Tsakali, eyeing the crude depiction of a centaur you had made in the margins of your writing.

You smirked. “They can’t be THAT complicated, right? If they were, it would take forever to write anything.”

Tsakali smiled. “Of course. It’s simple once you get the hang of it. How would you like to learn how to write an introduction?”

~~~~~~~

Bird, reed, man holding hand up, squiggle, ducks, water. That looked about right.

You slid your journal back to Tsakali for inspection.

She snickered, but tried to maintain her aloof composure.

“The first character is backwards.” She said, tapping the bird.

“So?! Who cares which way it faces!” you said.

“It’s just gibberish if you aren’t careful.” Said Tsakali.

“People won’t really confuse this with something else, will they? I’ve written in Common for a while most monsters can understand what I’m saying even if I make a mistake of two. Same thing with English; even if monsters mess up a few letters, I can usually interpret what they meant.” You said.

Tsakali shook her head. “That isn’t the point. You should strive to be as precise and articulate as you can be. In ALL things. Do not let yourself stumble through life on close enough. If you do, you will always be known a fool. That sentence you just wrote? You thanked someone for the pillow you just ate.”

“…Okay, but which part is pillow?” you said.

Tsakali pointed out your mistake and you scrawled out a note in the margin. Thank God you were only sojourning through this place. The only things you needed to learn were things that pertained to your trip.

“Now let’s get into personal relationships. Here’s how you write wife…”

Grabbing a piece of parchment, she dipped the quill into the ink and set to work. Her large paws beguiled practiced dexterity. They weren’t quite as big as the picture in the encyclopedia suggested, but were still proportioned a bit bigger than a normal human’s hand. She passed the sheet to you.

“This one is easy. Just a ‘U’ shape with a squiggle for water.” She said. 

No way you could mess that up. You replicated it in your own journal and showed it to her.

“Good, good. You’ll be writing Capsalisman script in no time.” Said Tsakali.

You wrote ‘wife’ next to the symbol. If only all words in this language were so easy.

Tsakali stretched and looked out the window. “It will be nightfall soon. Your living arrangements will be this coach, if you couldn’t tell.” She said, gesturing to the bed.

“I can already tell that it’s more comfortable than the one I’m used to.” You said.

Tsakali’s tail wagged. “Of course it is. The Pharaoh has spared no expense ensuring your comfort. This vessel is as comfortable as it is secure.”

“Glad to hear. You don’t mind if I put some extra wards down just in case, right?” you said.

Tsakali scowled at you. “There is no need! I assure you that protective spells FAR stronger than any you could conjure are already in place. Adding any more would only disrupt the existing magic.”

Alright, geez. No offence intended lady. You couldn’t help but notice her tail got all bushy when she got upset. Cute! At least you had ONE tell to break the stoic veil she kept.

“Idrial!” shouted Tsakali.

The port to the driver’s seat opened. “Quitting time already?” asked Idrial.

“I want to have time to establish fortifications. The serfs of Valisias saw what we took, and I’d say that it’s unquestionable that at least a few will come for us under the cover of night.” Said Tsakali.

“Understood. I’ll look for a place to camp.” Said Idrial. He shut the port, and a horn sounded.

Tsakali yawned and flopped onto the bench. “By the sun, this whole day has been exhausting. How do you live with all this… what’s the word? For all the water in the air?”

“Humidity.” You said.

“Yes! Gods, what a pain! It’s making my tail all frizzy.” Said Tsakali, cradling her black tail.

“You get used to it.” You said.

“I’m quite happy NOT getting used to it. I’ll take sand over muck any day of the week.” Said Tsakali.

“Are there seasons in the Capsalisma?” you asked.

Tsakali nodded. “We don’t have nearly as much change as you northerners. But there are two distinct seasons: flood season, and dry season. The city’s economy and foodstuffs revolve around the cycles of the Skotenthram River.”

You yawned. So much to learn, so little time. Just one day into your crash course on Kyriavalissan culture and language and you had already forgotten so much. Nothing a good sleep couldn’t fix.

The carriage took a gentle turn as Idrial steered the coach off the road. Looking out the window, you could see that he had parked on a rocky bluff next to the road. Any attackers would have to face down a wall of mummies, or scale the cliff. Outside, the various monsters comprising your entourage were unpacking wagons and chariots, and pitching tents. You were a little confused about the general lack of camp preparation going on, until you remembered that the majority of soldiers were undead. Standing guard all night must not be that big of a deal when you were indefatigable.

You knew which tent was Tsakali’s the second you saw a ghoul carrying in an actual mattress. Through the tent flap you caught a glimpse of a smattering of carpets, a desk stacked with papers, and a small brazier in the middle to keep the whole place warm. Talk about glamping.

Tsakali let out a warbling high-pitched moan as she stretched. “I hate to leave you alone, but there is some VERY important paperwork that needs to be filled out. I’ll rouse you in the morning for breakfast.”

“I’m going to be alone in here, right?” you asked. “No guards hidden under the bed, no ghosts waiting in the walls, right?”

Tsakali chuckled. “I can see if any of the mummies want to watch you sleep, if you’re feeling lonely.”

You snorted.

Tsakali grinned smugly. “Fine. But if you’re planning on ‘relieving’ yourself, please make sure you don’t get any on the-“

“GOODNIGHT!” you said loudly, slamming the door in her face.

Pulling the curtains shut, you tossed your tattered clothes aside and put on your night wear. Stepping up to the bed, you gave the mattress an experimental touch. The cool fabric was every bit as soft as you had imagined it to be. Throwing the blankets over yourself, you slipped in and rested your head on the pillow. Holy shit, the thread count on these sheets must be in the triple digits. Thrashing around in your newfound comfort, you paused as your nose picked up a curious scent.

Sitting up, you gave a few sniffs. Had a monster already breached your sanctum? The aroma was strong enough to suggest that whatever it was, it was close. Following your nose, you traced the source back to the pillow. The case seemed to be in order; no signs of tampering, no damp spots where a potion was poured, and no glowing magical seals. Pulling the case off, you took a look at the pillow itself. Near one corner, you noticed a small feather protruding from the bag of down. Pulling it free, you ignited a small spark in your hand with magic and held the feather to the light.

It was a coppery red, and had an unusual texture. You sniffed it. It had an indescribable scent. Like jasmine, sweat, cinnamon and mint all mixed into one. A gandharva feather.

No doubt about it, this Pharaoh was stacked. In a financial sense. Probably physically too, now that you think about it. Surely mooching a ship fare from her wouldn’t be too hard. As long as you remained cordial. She was a queen, and she would act like royalty. That meant you would have to swallow your pride and grit your teeth as she prodded and pestered you with every inane question or conversation topic she could come up with. 

You shifted under the sheets. She was more than that wasn’t she? Practically a god. As far as you knew, she had minor dominion over the sun itself. Dominion over you too, if she felt like it. One phrase from her charmed tongue and you would be powerless to resist her. Tomorrow you would ask Tsakali what the Pharaoh was like. If she was as single as she sounded, you might have to turn this trip into a mad dash to the port. Three weeks of talk should be enough to give you a proper idea of what Nefkara’s personality was really like. You could find a way to read Tsakali just as well as she read you. No one was going to get the drop on you this time.

~~~~~~

Tsakali moved to the back of the carriage. Extending her paw, she channeled a bit of magic into the secret spell seals carved into the back of the carriage. The seals were perfectly hidden amidst the ornate carvings that decorated the coach. One by one, she ran her hands over them. Diagnostic data flowed into her mind as the runes gathered information from the interior. The temperature was optimal, there were no threats, and Anon was fast asleep.

“Just for good measure…” she murmured.

Channeling a bit of power into a rune, she sent Anon into an even deeper slumber. Slinking to the carriage door, she opened it and slipped inside.

She moved quietly, but without hesitation over to the table where Anon’s journal rested. Taking care to memorize the position it was in, she took out a small scroll from her dress and unfurled it. Within was written all the English words she needed to know, as well as their Capsalisman counterparts. Flipping to the last pages of Anon’s diary, she ran a claw across his sloppy hieroglyphs. Her eyes flitted between his own translations and the ones she and the other scholars had cobbled together based on the books they had obtained. She gave a small huff of satisfaction. Everything seemed to be in order. The efficacy of a second hand translation had been dubious to Tsakali, but she was pleased to see that The College of Admaz had done their due diligence in translating Anon’s language.

Her claw stopped over the ‘U’ symbol with the wave in the middle. Wife. That was the word was one of the most crucial. Flipping back through the journal, she picked a page near the beginning and began to translate the key words.

~~~~~~~

“Anon, breakfast.” Called Tsakali.

You swung your feet over the side of the bed and stretched. Just like you thought: the bed was amazing! You felt more rested after one night on this mattress than you did in all the months at Valisias combined. The power of lumbar support was a thing to be feared.  
Outside the carriage, you were greeted with the sorry sight of a single campfire cooking a small pot of stew. The rest of the camp had been completely repacked into the chariots and wagons. You felt a bit guilty being one of the only living creatures there; all the mummies and ghouls had to wait around awkwardly while the few living troops took turns gathering stew from the bowl and bread from a small oven nearby.

“Here you are.” Said Tsakali cheerily, passing you a bowl. 

You greedily accepted it and began to spoon the concoction into your mouth. It was hearty enough to be filling, but not too heavy for a breakfast dish.

“Not a very traditional desert breakfast, but you’ll have plenty of those once we reach the palace.” Said Tsakali.

She handed you a slice of bread and you dipped it into the soup.

“What do you usually eat?” you asked.

“Bread, some fruit, a bit of yoghurt or cheese if I feel like something more filling.” Said Tsakali.

Sounded almost like a Mediterranean meal.

One of the mummies kicked dirt over the fire and the entire cooking station was disassembled in seconds. No sooner had you finished your soup than a mummy gently pulled the bowl from your hands. You were left with the remains of your fresh baked bread, still steaming in the morning mist.

“Ready to go?” asked Tsakali.

You stuffed the last of the bread into your mouth and nodded. Climbing into the carriage after her, the car lurched forward, and your journey south continued.

~~~~~~~~~

For days, you traveled uninterrupted. After a week had passed, the landscape was noticeably different from the deciduous forests and fertile plains of Valisisas. The land here was more arid. Grass was still plentiful, but occasionally there would be a rocky outcropping that lay bare, or a patch of wilted brown grass, desiccated by the sun. You could feel it in the air as well. The drop in humidity had been pleasant, and you no longer worried about offending Tsakali with the stench of your sweat as you sat idle in the coach.

Your hand worked slowly as you lazily sketched out some of the surrounding landscape. It looked like something out of a Greek tourism magazine. Rocky hills dotted with what looked like juniper and cypress trees.

“We’ll be stopping soon.” Said Tsakali, not looking up from her pile of paperwork.

“For lunch?” you asked. Usually the caravan would provide some sort of cold lunch that could be eaten without interrupting the brutal pace of the journey.

“No, we’re changing out our draft animals.” Said Tsakali with a small smirk.

“Huh?” you asked.

Tsakali tapped her papers on the table to get them all into a neat stack. “Horses wouldn’t be able to make the trip through the desert. We only used them because the desert beasts would have been too slow in these wet-lands.”

“Desert beasts?”

“Yes, I doubt there was anything quite like them in your world. They’re big enough to pull the coach, but hardy enough to survive without much water or food.” Said Tsakali.

“That sounds like a {camel}.” You said.

Tsakali cocked her head. “Cah-mul?”

“Yeah. Big, long-necked creatures with a hump in their back that they stored fat in. They were used for transport in the deserts of my world. Sometimes…” you said.

Tsakali blushed. It sounded like desert beasts were a bit closer to camels than she thought. Just because Earth didn’t have latent demonic magic seeping into it’s fauna didn’t mean there weren’t plenty of weird critters running around.

“I-I see. Well, that does sound a BIT like the desert beasts… You shall see shortly. In fact, I think I can see the trading post from here.” Said Tsakali. She squinted out the window into the distance. “Yes! There it is.”

“Where is it?” you asked. All you could see were rocky cliffs and scrubland.

“There. Built into the cliff face.” Said Tsakali.

Looking closer, you could see the faint shapes of blocky buildings carved into the side of the cliff. The whole settlement was built so that the hovels were shaded from the harsh midday sun. Chariots were already veering down the rough cobble remains (or maybe it had always looked like this) of a road towards the town.

“Welcome to Palivraho. Premier trading destination for traders from the Capsalisma and North Lands alike.” Said Tsakali.

“Really?” you said, in a more disbelieving tone than you meant. It looked a little… ramshackle for such a title.

“I know that it doesn’t look like much, but most of the city is located inside.” Said Tsakali.

“Inside?”

“You’ll see. We can buy lunch at the market.” Said Tsakali.

Whatever was in that smattering of buildings, it was enough to make her tail wag. So it couldn’t be all bad, right? The carriage trundled to a stop, and Tsakali disembarked celeritously with a spring in her step.

“Come on, you want to see what’s inside, don’t you?” she asked.

Her tail was vigorously thrashing the air by now, and she had begun to sniff the air.

“You just can’t help yourself when we stop here, can you?” said Idrial, hopping down from his driver’s seat.

“T-this is a VERY important stop on our journey.” Protested Tsakali, folding her arms defensively.

“And you would still stop here even if the market stopped serving those bread-wraps?” asked Idrial.

Bread-wrap? That didn’t sound that special. Wasn’t that just a glorified sandwich?

Tsakali gasped. “O-of course! Not that that would ever happen. They won’t ever go out of business. Right? I mean, they’re too good. Surely they won’t ever run out of customers… I’ll buy an extra today to make sure that they have enough money!”

She walked past you towards the collection of buildings, sniffing loudly.

“Come on, let’s go. There’s no stopping her once she sets her mind on something.” Said Idrial.

A cohort of the Pharaoh’s soldiers followed you as you approached the cliff-town. A few small shops dotted the cliffs, as well as a few stabling companies. You caught a glimpse of what looked like the bastard child of a camel and a buffalo, and deduced that they were probably the creatures that Tsakali had spoken of. What you HADN’T seen from the road was the staircase leading up into the cliff itself. Monsters and their husbands bustled past you (as close as the guards allowed) as they came or left. Climbing up the cool stone steps you were greeted with a fantastical sight. It may not have been what you would call a city, but it was certainly everything Tsakali had promised it to be.

A massive pool of water bubbled up in the center of a cavernous room, open to the world via a hole in the top that spanned hundreds of feet. Mirrors positioned at precise angles shone light into more stores carved into the rock faces. There was an upper and lower section, each with their own walkways. Around the pool, tents, stalls, and huts selling everything imaginable littered the ground. The area must have been communal, as dozens of foreign and exotic plants were scattered around the oasis in pots or in small beds. Like some sort of bizarre mall in the middle of the nowhere.

“Wow…” you said.

“Yep, never gets old.” Smiled Idrial. He sighed as he surveyed the crowd. “Best find the wife. Come on, I know exactly where she is.”  
Idrial led you through the crowd towards the food stalls. A patio had been laid out with tables and chairs for all sizes of monsters. Your mouth began to water as a medley of aromas accosted your nose.

“There she is.” Said Idrial.

Tsakali was waiting in line for a small stall nestled under the second story walkway. Her clawed foot tapped impatiently as she waited for the line to progress. Every now and then she would crane her neck to see how far away from the front she was, even if the line hadn’t moved. The succubus behind her was forced to keep her distance, lest she be swatted to death by Tsakali’s tail.

“Do you want to be the one to tell the Pharaoh that you abandoned your charge for street food, or shall I have the honors?” asked Idrial.

Tsakali blenched at his sudden address. She whipped around and looked at him, ears flattened against her head.

“I did NOT leave him! Look at how many soldiers there are! He’s fine! I was never more than a few paces ahead of him!” she said quickly.

“Uh huh.” Said Idrial.

“…Please don’t tell.” Said Tsakali quietly.

“It’s fine, I know you can’t help yourself when it comes to these things.” Sighed Idrial.

Tsakali’s tail resumed its thrashing as she turned her attention back towards the stall.

“How many do you guys want? I’m getting four, no, five! What about you?” she asked.

“I’ll take one.” Said Idrial.

“Right! So that’s seven so far. Anon, do you want some?” asked Tsakali.

“How big are they?” you asked. You still didn’t know what the hell you were about to consume, but they smelled delicious. And a line THIS long had to count for something, right?

Tsakali held her paws about twenty centimeters apart.

“Yeah, give me two.” You said. This was the only food you would get until dinner, and you were starving. Better to have leftovers than to go hungry.  
“Got it. I’ll get a dozen, just to have a nice even number.” Said Tsakali.

You glanced at Idrial. He looked back at you with a knowing stare.

“I’m going to buy some stomach medicine. Make sure she only buys a dozen.” He said, patting your shoulder. Idrial disappeared through the crowd towards a different part of the trading post.

Tsakali reached the counter and dumped a small bag of silver coins onto the stall’s counter. “GIVE ME FIFTEEN!” she demanded.

“Twelve!” you shouted angrily.

The sphinx taking orders froze, looking between you, Tsakali, the pile of money, the platoon of guards surrounding you, the growing line of monsters, and decided that making only twelve bread-wraps was probably the prudent thing to do.

“Anon! Why?!” whined Tsakali.

“What do you mean ‘why’?! You’re not going to eat nine of whatever these things are!” you said.

Tsakali looked dumbly at you. “…Nine?”

“Yes! Idrial and I are only getting three! You ordered a dozen!” you said.

Tsakali contemplated the statement. “You’ll want more than two.” She said with a satisfied nod of her head.

The sphinx handed her a bag of food.

“Let’s go!” said Tsakali, running past you towards the tables.

You followed her over to an isolated table with a good view of Palivraho’s interior. Tsakali hadn’t waited for you to sit down, already scarfing her way through her second bread wrap. She growled when you extended your had towards the bag, but quickly composed herself and offered you one.

It was a piece of some tortilla or bread with meat inside (of dubious origin), deep-fried and crimped together along one side. You took a bite. It was delicious, and more importantly it confirmed your suspicions. This cuisine wasn’t exclusive to the mamono world.

“This is an {empanada}.” You said through a mouthful of meat.

Tsakali cocked her head at you, cheeks bulging with food. “Wusht?”

“They had these in my world.” You said, taking another bite. “I guess the amulet tried to find the closest possible word.”

“Uh huh.”

Tsakali ignored your question and went back to her meal. She messily tore through a third empanada, flecks of fried corn and meat sticking to the fur of her paws. Control yourself, woman…

Idrial returned after a few minutes and ate his share of Tsakali’s food.

“Anon, can you give her this? She’ll need it in about half an hour.” Said Idrial. He gave you a small vial of cerulean liquid.  
Tsakali glared at him. “Is that stomach medicine? I don’t need that!”

“Not yet. How many have you eaten?” asked Idrial.

“Four.” Said Tsakali defensively, halfway through her sixth empanada.

“Uh huh. Anon, when you give it to her, tell her ‘I told you so’ for me.” Said Idrial.

“You’ll see!” said Tsakali.

~~~~~~

“Idrial told you so.” You said, passing Tsakali the vial of medicine.

Tsakali moaned in pain, too busy lamenting her gluttonous impulse to consume the medicine. She was splayed out on the bench across from you, half of her hanging off one side as she quietly suffered.

“Too many…” she whined.

“You ate eight of them.” You said. In the end, you had eaten a third. For her sake and yours. It already looked like she was on death’s door. “Drink the medicine.”

Tsakali fumbled with the stopper and swallowed the fluid. You took the glass back from her and set it down.

“I’m going to sleep for a bit.” Said Tsakali softly.

“That’s probably for the best.” You assured.

You lowered the shade for her. Nothing to see now, you were within the Capsalisma desert. The mummies had changed out the horses for desert beasts, massive hunks of muscle covered in thin curly hair with dark brown heads. They looked like someone had squashed a camel’s neck down and fed it a diet of pure creatine. And added a LOT of teeth. They gave you the creeps. Good thing you didn’t have to look at them much.

Flipping open your journal, you drew a crude picture of one. When Tsakali woke up, you would ask her what the hieroglyphs for desert beast were. Even after days of rigorous study, you were still nescient in regards to their language. Flipping back through the journal, you noticed something strange. A small lump near the edge of one page. Turning back all the way to your time in Valisias, you inspected the offending paper.

It was a page you had accidentally spilled some water on while writing out your ideas for which species to wife. Something had punched a small hole through the page. You frowned. What could have done that? You didn’t remember any damage other than the water. And you kept the journal under lock and key; it was arguably your most important possession. Filled with all the memories you had of Earth. Things that if you forgot, would be gone forever.

You chalked it up to wear and tear. The page was already brittle after all. Returning to your drawing, you sketched in the pointy teeth of the draft beast.

~~~~~~~

Tsakali slowly closed the door to the coach. The cool desert wind made a low, sibilant hum in her cropped ears as she walked to her tent. She didn’t worry about the tracks she left behind; the wind would bury them by morning. A few desert beasts gave her a half-lidded stare as she passed them.

Slipping inside the tent, she prodded the brazier with a poker to coax more heat out of the dying embers.

“Haven’t you translated enough?” asked Idrial.

“Her Highness was very clear: I am to find ALL information about the topics she designated.” Said Tsakali.

“It looks like you’ve translated that entire book of his…” said Idrial.

“Only the important bits.” She said, waggling the freshly translated page over her shoulder. She added it to the pile with the others.  
“Have you found anything important yet?” asked Idrial.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I happened to find a few key points already.” Said Tsakali.

“I’m sure Her Highness will be pleased.” Said Idrial.

“Not likely.” 

“Oh?”

“She ordered a report. I don't think she'll enjoy what it entails…” said Tsakali.

“Cryptic tonight, aren’t we?” mused Idrial.

“Shut up and take off your pants.” Growled Tsakali.

“Still hungry after all those wraps?” teased Idrial.

Tsakali pounced on him and pinned him to the mattress. “Let’s see how long you can keep up that smart-ass act.”

Idrial kissed her nose. “As long as you need, honey~”

~~~~~~~

Your trip through the Capsalisma was eerily unimpeded. Nothing but a loose assemblage of sandstone blocks forming the road, dunes, and blue sky for as far as the eye could see. Thank God Tsakali had had the foresight to bring some books written in Common. The only reprieve you had from your boredom was a brief stop in a kephri controlled city-state to stock up on supplies for the last leg of the trip. You had even had the privilege of meeting the king! He was a pretty cool guy. Maybe you’d visit with the wife sometime.

“Anon, look!” said Tsakali, pointing out the window.

Off in the distance, a sandworm arced out of the desert and plunged back beneath the sand.

“Oh fuck, is it coming for us?!” you asked. Magic was all well and good, but there was no way you could fight off a fully grown sandworm.

“No, see the striping? She’s one of ours.” Said Tsakali. The sandworm did indeed have a series of dark blue whorls and patterns smeared along the side of her carapace.

“Ours?”

“Most sandworms live in the Great Expanse, a region of the Capsalisma northwest of here. There are no settlements for hundreds of miles. Since no humans set foot in the Expanse, many sandworms volunteer for a short term of mercenary service in exchange for a husband.” Said Tsakali.

“Mercenary sandworms?” you asked. The concept sounded too goofy to be true.

“Indeed. You won’t lose cargo to raiders with a sandworm protecting your caravan, that’s for sure. Every independent city-state has a few on payroll as well.”

“Is there really need for a worm-garrison? This doesn’t seem like a war-torn region of the world to me.” You said.

Tsakali squirmed. “There are… powers that constantly seek to upset the balance between nations.”

You nodded. “An apophis?” 

Tsakali nodded.

“How dangerous is she?”

“Very. She is weaker than the Pharaoh, but she still poses a significant threat. She would be destroyed if she ever attacked, but we would suffer catastrophic losses as well.” Said Tsakali.

“This apophis, how far away is she?” you asked.

“Far. Too far to worry about.” Said Tsakali.

You relaxed. That was reassuring. One less thing to worry about.

Tsakali laid out a map on the table and hummed happily. “We’ll be arriving midday tomorrow. Oh! I almost forgot! Her Highness had some garments made for you.”

Tsakali opened the bottom drawer of the dresser (unused since you had been living out of your trunk like a slob) and produced a set of ornamental clothing.

“You can wear these as we enter the city.” Said Tsakali, wagging her tail.

You looked askance at the clothing. How did you even wear this thing? It was divided into two pieces, each with a hole big enough to fit your whole body through and enough gems to buy a palace.

“I’ll help you put it on in the morning.” Said Tsakali.

You smiled at her. “I think that would be for the best.”

~~~~~~~

“Ooh!~ You look so dapper in that outfit!” squealed Tsakali.

You looked yourself over in the small mirror on the wall. The clothes were divided into two pieces: a shawl-like piece that covered some of your body, and a longer waist cloth that clothed your legs. A thick necklace of beads and jewels adorned your throat, complimenting the colors of cloth that ran around the edge of the shawl. A simple, yet elegant ensemble. You felt more regal already!  
“Don’t forget the headdress!” said Tsakali. She plopped a miter-esque hat on your head.

“Looks good.” You nodded, twisting to inspect the back of the waist cloth.

“Doesn’t it? I love wearing ceremonial clothing.” Said Tsakali. She was wearing her own special dress, a stunning piece with cloth woven to look like her midriff was being embraced by a pair of wings. You were pleased to see that the khopesh had finally been replaced with a small ceremonial dagger. A ruby pommel glinted at the end of an ivory handle.

“Anon, before we get to the city, we need to go over a few rules.” Said Tsakali sternly.

“Okay.”

“First rule: Do whatever Her Highness tells you to. No buts, no whys, no complaints.”

You pursed your lips. “That’s…”

“I know it sounds imperious. But she has a VERY specific way of doing things. And she does NOT tolerate flippancy.” Said Tsakali.  
You gulped. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake after all. You and flippancy went hand in hand; you just couldn’t help it! Whenever some pompous monster was mouthing off to you, it just slipped out!

“Rule two: don’t try to leave the city.” Continued Tsakali.

“Huh?” you asked. That was… a bit of a strange demand.

“Her Highness wants you to enjoy your stay. If you have any ulterior motives for coming to Kyriavalissa, I suggest you postpone them until you have seen all the city has to offer.”

“Very well…” you said.

Tsakali sighed. “I realize that it’s strange to ask that of you, but it’s important to remember. Her Highness is very eager to meet you, and I swear to you that she has your best interests at heart. Those are really the only rules you need to know for now; everything else will be explained to you when we arrive.”

“Is the Pharaoh married?” you blurted out. Normally you would try to finesse an answer out, but that last statement had seemed like an unambiguous promise of rape.

“She is.” Said Tsakali.

You sighed in relief and sat down. Looks like that was just a poor choice of words on her part after all. Tsakali quietly took the seat across from you. Her paws fidgeted as she looked out the window.

“Is something wrong?” you asked.

“Huh?! No! Nothing!” said Tsakali.

“Are you sure? You look troubled…”

“I just get nervous around crowds, that’s all.” Said Tsakali with a forced smile.

You nodded. “I’m not one for ceremonies myself either.”

Something caught your eye out the window. “Look! I think I can see the city!” you said excitedly.

Tsakali looked out the window. “Yes, that’s Kyriavalissa.”

The walls were massive. They were easily more than a hundred feet high. You figured that with sandworms as a staple of armies, having giant walls was the only way to protect your city from being flattened under a fifty meter meat-tube. Beyond that, you could only see a few steeples of what looked like a palace rising over the monumental barrier. A river, that you realized must be the Skotethram, flowed beside the city, surrounded by hundreds of farms. Green grass sprung forth from the fertile floodplains as the brown water surged towards the nearby sea. The first whiff of brine made you nostalgic; how long had it been since you had visited an ocean? You traced the Skotenthram River all the way down to the expansive delta in the distance.

“Those are some big walls!” you said, too amazed to form an actual intelligent statement.

“They certainly are.” Agreed Tsakali.

You looked at her again. Her ears were flat against her head. She was staring intently at the floor.

“Tsakali, are you su-“

“We need to get the carriage ready for arrival. Pack your things up, I’ll take out the windows.” Said Tsakali, interrupting you.  
She began to use magic to raise each window one by one. You threw the clothes you had strewn on the bed into your case and tossed your journal inside. Something wasn’t right…

Tsakali folded up the small table between the benches and sat back down. You slowly sat down across from her. Leaning your head out the window, you took a second look at the city.

Now you were close enough to see that the sides of the walls were covered in a massive relief. Even at a great distance, you could make out the rough image of a woman and a snake. No doubt the Pharaoh dueling with her rival. Your mind churned. The sense of danger that had been instilled so thoroughly in you was picking at the back of your head.

“Tsakali, what was the name of that kephri city we stopped at?” you asked.

“Hmm? Oh, it was Skathari.” She said. Her tail was all bushy…

“Huh. I don’t remember seeing it along the road to Kyriavalissa on the map you showed me.” You said.

“I-it was there alright.” She said.

Your heart began to beat faster. The city was getting closer.

“I thought I saw a city named Skathari, but it was farther east. On a road to a different city.” You said.

Tsakali said nothing. You watched her throat jump as she swallowed hard.

“Still nervous?” you asked.

“Yes, crow-“

“Crowds. Right, right." you interrupted. "Then you must have done a lot of practicing, huh? To deliver a perfect speech in Valisias in front of total strangers in a foreign land. You never stuttered once.”

Tsakali’s eyes widened.

You looked back out the window. The wall was almost upon you now. It loomed over you, a bastion that threatened to block out the sky itself. A cavernous gate opened before you, inviting you in. Crowds of monsters thronged the streets. Their excitement could be heard even now, two hundred yards away from the entrance to the city. But you weren’t paying attention to the crowds, or the soldiers, or the majesty of the walls. You were focused on the reliefs.

From a distance, you could tell that it depicted a Pharaoh in mortal combat with an apophis. What you HADN’T been able to see was the outcome of the fight. The pharaoh was reaching up to grapple the snake, her face awash with fear and dismay. The great snake held one of her wrists aside, fangs bared, ready to add to the dripping bitemarks already present in the pharaoh’s shoulder. On the other side of the gate, the pharaoh was wrapped in the coils of the apophis, defeated. The snake-woman held a small sun in the palm of her hand, a full moon shining its own light down from above her head.

“Tsakali…” you began.

She looked at you with a quivering lip.

“…This isn’t Kyriavalissa, is it?”

Her paw shot down to the pommel of her dagger. You tried to stop her hand with magic, but she unsheathed the dagger and lunged at you before you could get the spell off. The blade sunk into your left shoulder, passing all the way through to the fabric of the seat behind you. You screamed as you felt the warm sensation of realm silver sliding through your skin. Channeling all your might into your right hand, you let her have it.

The ensuing blast blew out the entire side of the carriage, sending Tsakali flying. Wood splinters rained down into the sand as Tsakali cartwheeled across the dunes. Idrial stopped carriage and screamed for her to respond, jumping down to find her.

You staggered out of the gaping hole and onto the sand in a daze. Looking down, you saw the mirage-like shimmering air of mana leaking out of the wound Tsakali had inflicted on you. You had minutes, at most, to escape. Soldiers were already wheeling their chariots around. Harpy soldiers on the ramparts took flight after you.

“SEIZE HIM!” screamed Tsakali.

Summoning all the wards you needed to mage jump, you slammed a bolt down onto the invisible seesaw and sent yourself careening away from the carnage. The first jump took you only about fifty yards. The second took you only thirty.

What were you even doing?! This was insane! What would you even do if you escaped these soldiers, wander across an entire desert? Pray you find some random monster out in the desert to drag you back to a more amicable civilization? 

Your head swam as the loss of mana took its toll. As you made the last jump, your magic faltered before you could make a proper landing. Your body mercifully landed on the downward side of a sand dune and you rolled to the bottom with minimal injuries. Propping yourself up, you began to crawl away, driven by instinct even as the world began to turn grey.

No use.

You collapsed. The sand was too warm, and you were too tired. The hot dust burned your skin as you lay motionless, covered in grit and too exhausted to move away from the pain. A skittering sound grew louder as something approached you from behind. Whatever it was, you were powerless to stop it.

A girtablilu stepped over you. Her sharp feet bored holes into the sand as her human torso bent to inspect your face. You couldn’t see her face behind the moon-print veil she wore, but you knew that she sneering at you.

“Welcome home, Prince~”


	40. Chapter 40

First impressions are a precious thing; you only ever get one. And the first impression the denizens of this city got of you was a thoroughly battered lunatic.

Tsakali had managed to stifle the loss of mana after you had been quickly apprehended by the guards, preventing you from losing consciousness. Not that you were far from it. You were still too weak to even hold your head up properly. The chariot you had been stuffed into jostled your neck at painful angles as you dumbly stared back at the sea of onlooking monsters. You could scarcely hear their murmurs over the harsh white-noise ringing through your skull. Even in your addled state, you felt a profound sense of dread as the gate to the city closed behind you.

“Stupid. Stupid!” hissed Tsakali. She cracked the reins in anger. “What did I tell you?! All you had to do was listen. You could have had EVERYTHING! Just an obtuse, arrogant outsider who’s too moronic to act in their own self-interest.”

The chariot came to an abrupt stop and your head bounced painfully against the chassis. Tsakali hauled you to your feet with the help of a guard, and the duo carried you towards the entrance to the palace.

A grand and awe inspiring building, the palace towered over the rest of the city. It was beautiful and imperious, but in a strangely aesthetic way. The way the walls and towers loomed over the houses and shops below seemed threatening, but the slopes and curves of the walls detracted from the brutalist aspects of the structure. It seemed as if the palace was built with both defense and aesthetics in mind. Fort-like in shape and size, the palace sat squarely in the middle of the city providing a sort of citadel. Yet every column and wall were decorated in some fashion, be it a simple pattern of colors or a full-sized mural. A large segment of the palace jutted out towards the main avenue, with an observation area at the top. You could see a few curious monsters looking down at you from above. Harpies called from the minarets above, heralding your arrival to the denizens of the labyrinthian structure.

A lamia slithered over to you in a hurry and began to inspect your arm as Tsakali carried you up a flight of stairs towards a portcullis. Unstopping a vial, she gently tilted your head back and poured the contents into your mouth. You coughed and sputtered as the bitter liquid seeped down your throat, spraying a mist of medicine over your captors. Tsakali’s claws dug into you even harder.

“Can’t even drink properly…”

“Vizier, he needs to be inspected. Her Highness can wait a bit longer; he shouldn’t see her in this condition.” Said the lamia.

“He’ll be fine. I’ll make this quick, I promise.” Said Tsakali.

“Vizier…”

“Dismissed, doctor. We shall reconvene once Her Highness has seen him.” Growled Tsakali.

The lamia gave a small bow, but continued to slither along behind you. If a doctor was this worried for your life, it didn’t bode well for you…

As you were dragged through corridors, up staircases, and through the palace, you began to feel the potions effects. Nothing major, but you did feel strong enough to at least stagger along with Tsakali and the soldier. The denizens of the palace gawked at you as you passed. You could only imagine their shock; a disheveled alien dressed in tattered ceremonial robes being carried by one of the most powerful monsters in the city. In fact, they had probably been expecting you. Expecting you to arrive like a normal human being. WITHOUT blowing up the Vizier. Did attacking a city official make you a terrorist?

The crowd of monsters thickened as you approached what must be the throne room. Clearly they were nobles. Even without proper knowledge of Capsalisma fashion, the stark contrast between the people within the palace and the commoners you had seen on the way in was profound. So much gold that it was almost gaudy.

“Anon, do you remember what the first rule is?” said Tsakali coldly.

You clenched your jaw.

“That’s a good human.” Said Tsakali, clenching your arm for emphasis.

Two towering doors depicting serpents coiled around blazing suns opened inward before you reached them. The throne room was not a room at all, as it would seem. Instead, the entire area was exposed to the elements. You supposed that in a desert, the chances of rain interrupting court was basically zero. The patterned tile floor stretched all the way from the base of the throne down a small set of stairs to the vista you had seen from below. On either side of the atrium, rows of seats sat arranged under the overhangs. It would have been a nice place to relax, save for the coiled snake perched on the throne.

Your eyes met as soon as you passed through the door. You froze in place, lurching as Tsakali and the mummy were forced to compensate for the unexpected resistance. Those eyes. You had seen a lot of cruel, mischievous, jealous, and even evil looks in your time in this land, but never had you seen such a malevolent physiognomy. Seeing the way the apophis looked you over gave you chills. Her gaze was both predatory and aloof at the same time; filled with anticipation but reserved enough not to show it.

The apophis rose off her throne. She extended her arms toward you with a self-satisfied smile. For once, the profile picture in the encyclopedia was spot on. It occurred to you that this may be the very same apophis the wandering scholar used as a reference in his book. Purple skin, the gradient hair, the lustrous deep-purple scales… Even the silver jewelry she wore looked similar. 

“Ahh~ The obstreperous groom arrives.” She said in a husky voice.

Tsakali and the guard quickly forced you to stand in front of their mistress, and took a step back to kneel. You stood paralyzed with fear, unable to take your eyes off the creature before you. You wanted to run. You wanted to fight. You wanted to do anything to escape this woman. Anything to make this hair-raising sensation go away.

“You’re just as handsome as the accounts made you out to be. And just as they said, you do have the skin of an albino. But not quite…”  
The apophis slithered towards you. Your breath caught in your throat. She was massive. It was always hard to tell exactly how “tall” a lamia was, but this apophis was large enough to force you to look up at her. She smiled down at you. You let out a small groan of fear as her fangs glinted in the sunlight. A tinge of purple colored her cheeks. Was that a blush?

“My name is Nauraea: Empress of Darkness, Sultaness of Chaos, Ruin of Empires, and Harbinger of the Long Night to Come. And I’ve waited so very long to meet you. You traveled so far to reach me, hmm?”

She frowned when she saw the tear in your shawl where Tsakali had stabbed you. Nauraea reached out to inspect the fabric. You flinched and tried to stagger back. Nauraea caught you by the shoulder and prodded your wound with one of her long nails. You inhaled sharply as the sharp digit traced around the hole in your clothing.

“I see your nerves got the better of you again, Tsakali.” Said Nauraea.

“Your Highness, I-… He was too quick to anger!” Pleaded Tsakali.

Nauraea clicked her tongue. “His bellicose disposition was known to both of us before you embarked on the journey. We anticipated that he would resist, but I thought that you would at LEAST be capable of containing this outburst to within the confines of the city walls.”

“Apologies, your highness.” Said Tsakali, with a quivering voice.

“Do not despair, Vizier. You did bring him here in one piece as I commanded you to.” She sniffed you. “And he is indeed unspoiled. What of the other task I gave you?”

“Just as the reports claimed, he does indeed keep a record of his travels. I was able to translate most of the important passages contained within.” Said Tsakali. Confidence had crept back into her voice. “My transcriptions are still amidst my things, but they should be brought up shortly.”

“And where is the book itself?” asked Nauraea.

“Blown away in the explosion. The soldiers are currently combing the sands. They should have it within the hour.” Said Tsakali.  
“Excellent. Anything immediately pertinent?” purred Nauraea.

“Yes, your Highness. He intended to use the trip south to hitch a ride on a ship to Zipangu. Apparently he seeks to court a ryu as a wife.” Said Tsakali.

You could only listen in despair as the two conversed. To think that the whole thing had been a trap from the start. And you had walked right into it. Of course you had, why wouldn’t you? You didn’t know anything about Kyriavalissa or Nefkara. If a dark elf with a trained python had pulled up on a hay wagon and said she was a pharaoh, you probably would have gotten in.

“A ryu! Well, not quite the species I was hoping for, but that’s close enough I suppose. Horns notwithstanding, I have the royalty and body aspects. Tsakali, the harbor master that no ship may leave port unless Anon is accounted for.” Said Nauraea. She cupped your face in her hands and looked into your eyes. “So, you like powerful women hmm?~ Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to give you everything you want. In exchange…?”

She ran her forked tongue over her fangs. A bead of venom dripped onto the floor. “…All I ask is your loyalty.”

You glared at her. Her arrogance incensed you to the point that you forgot your fear for a second. You hadn't come this far for your dragon wife just to quit now.

Nauraea grinned at your vexation. “Am I to take that as a no? It may sound greedy, but I WAS a little hopeful you would make this interesting~”

Her massive tail coiled around you. Fuck was she fast! You wheezed as Nauraea crushed the air from your lungs with a sadistic giggle. She sneered down at you, at her mercy within her grasp.

“You’re already mine, HUSBAND~” She said, hissing the last word for emphasis. “How hard you make this is up to you. And for my sake, I hope you make it VERY hard.”

Nauraea cooed as you squirmed in her coils. “Mmm~ So vigorous! I was thinking about holding back until you had recovered, but I think you’re strong enough…”

“Your Highness, no! He’s still too weak!” pleaded the lamia doctor.

“Silence.” Said Nauraea coldly. “Just a taste…”

Bringing your body closer to her human torso, she wrapped her arms around your back. You panted quickly, awash with fear, anger, and arousal. She may be evil, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t sensual. You tried to twist away as her breasts pressed into you.  
Nauraea was having none of your defiance. Seizing your head, she pressed her lips into yours. You stopped squirming at once, for fear of skewering your lips on her fangs. Nauraea took advantage of your sudden docility to slip her tongue between your teeth. She hummed happily, and relaxed her death grip on the side of your head. For a few seconds, she was content to swirl her tongue around your mouth, exploring her conquest. Pulling out of the kiss, she flicked your ear with her tongue and whispered in your ear.

“Feel free to scream all you like~”

For a moment, you wondered what she meant. Then her head dipped down and you felt a searing pain in your shoulder. You screamed. It felt like she was injecting molten lead into your veins through her fangs. Heat shot through your body, radiating out from the bite. Your arms flailed uselessly in Nauraea’s embrace as you writhed. Your member was now fully erect, and a subtle shift in Nauraea’s muscles around your crotch was enough to send you over the edge. Stars clouded your vision as you came inside the waistcloth. The bliss you would normally feel after such a powerful ejaculation was overshadowed by the gut-wrenching sensation of mana poisoning. You groaned in pain as the world began to spin. Your head pounded as the feverish pain threatened to overwhelm you.

Nauraea released you just in time to avoid the first bout of black vomit spewing out of your mouth. Your body convulsed as it tried to purge the offending mana from your system. The lamia doctor hurried over to prop you up.

“I told you he was still too weak!” she screamed.

Nauraea watched apprehensively as the lamia rummaged through her bag. Uncorking another vial, she tried to dribble the liquid into your mouth before realizing that the medicine couldn’t beat the deluge of black mana pouring out. Pulling out a syringe, she filled the needle and jabbed it into your arm.

The relief was not nearly as instantaneous as the agony of the venom. Though your heart was racing, the antivenom seemed to ooze through your veins at a snail’s pace. Slowly, the fire in your blood abated, and you were left whimpering in a pile of sludge.  
Nauraea huffed. “He may be weak now, but he will grow stronger. Take him, give him proper care.” Said the empress, waving her hand at the doctor.

The lamia cursed under her breath, and dragged you away. One of the sphinx guards was kind enough to lend a paw, throwing you over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry to make things easier on the poor doc.

~~~~~~~

Nauraea watched him go. The rest of the court parted as Anon passed, then looked back at their Queen. Not the first impression she had sought to make…

The plan was for Anon to be escorted into the city with a normal parade. He would see the people, smile, wave, look cute in his outfit, and then get to the palace. Once he was inside, she would spring the trap, he would be surprised, and then she would ravish him so thoroughly that he would be forced to love her.

Instead, her Vizier had gotten blow up, the citizens had seen their new king being dragged in by soldiers against his will, and she had almost killed her fiancé in front of her own court.

Nauraea slithered back onto her throne without a word and eyed the dark pool at the foot of the dais. Her lip curled in revulsion. She had known that Anon was susceptible to mana poisoning, but she had underestimated the… 'volatility' of the disease.

“Why hasn’t this been cleaned up?” she barked.

Some of the guards scrambled to find some housekeepers or cleaning supplies.

“And what are you all looking at?” snarled Nauraea.

The patrons of the court quickly found something more interesting to look at. All except for a gandharva, who scornfully stared back at her. Damn Eros cultists. They couldn’t be trusted. Their devotion was to love, not to her. Nauraea knew that the bird would give an unsavory account of what had transpired to the rest of her amorous clan.

But it wasn’t intentional! She had waited centuries for an opportunity like this. Nauraea clutched a hand over her chest. It was love! It must be! She hadn’t been able to articulate it very well, but seeing Anon had stirred something within her. Nauraea licked her lips, savoring the droplets of his blood that clung to them. A shudder of pleasure wracked her body. Delicious. Soon, he would be strong enough for her to drink her fill of his power.

Once the Eros cultists saw her affection for what it truly was, they would support her. Once Anon recovered and accepted her, her plans would progress. He would recover quickly, right? Of course he would. Tomorrow she would make it up to him. Anon was a man after all. Wooing someone may be beneath her, but Nauraea knew that winning Anon’s heart would be a simple task. Though she did hope that he resisted a LITTLE in the sack. That squirming felt wonderful. 

Nauraea sniffed the air. Something smelled… off. Following her nose, she became aware of a small damp spot on one of her belly scales. Reaching down, she dragged her fingers through the viscous slime and inspected them. Realizing what it was, she quickly adjourned court and hurried off to her personal chamber, making sure not to drag as little of her tail on the ground as possible.

~~~~~~~~

You wheezed out an involuntary groan of pleasure as the cancer worked her magic. The tiny woman’s hands darted across your body at lightning speed, massaging you and cleansing your body of taint. Maybe you should just marry one of these critters and call it a day. They were pretty cute. Except for…

You cracked your eyes as wide as you dared with a head coated in shampoo. The cancer’s second set of eyes, perched on her crab body, stared back at you. Why did they have to have those?! They gave you the heebi jeebies. 

“That’s enough.”

The cancer wiped the last froth away and stepped back. The lamia doctor held out her hand and you reluctantly offered her your arm. With a fresh needle, she drew a small blood sample and returned to her rack of reagents.

“You’re lucky Lussazan was so thorough with her research.” Said the lamia.

You grunted. That she was. You hoped she was doing well.

“I knew that narcissist would take a bite out of you the moment she saw you. Too selfish to think of anything but her own damn agenda!” said the lamia, flicking her tail in annoyance.

She sighed. “It looks like the mana levels in your body have normalized. All you’ll need is a good meal and some sleep to fully recover.”

“Okay.” You croaked.

The lamia gave you a pitied look. You were still too weak to even get up, splayed out on a stone bed in the infirmary.

“Listen, Anon… Your Majesty… The Queen means well. She really does. Lady Nauraea is just… eager to find love. I know that your first impression of her has been marred by what transpired today, but I hope that you can at least hear her apology before you judge her too harshly.”

Honestly, you were kind of used to this kind of thing by now. Kind of. The other monsters had been at least a LITTLE lenient with you. Even Petropa had allowed you a few hours of free time every day between your studies and spending time with Emballandae. You didn’t get that vibe from Nauraea; this snake was a power-hungry bastard to her core, you could already tell.

“I’ll die if I stay here.” You said softly. Maybe if you hammed it up a little, the doctor would help smuggle you out of the city to save your life.

“No you won’t. I’m too skilled for that to happen. Besides, it isn’t as if you have anywhere else to go.” Said the lamia.

Damn. Well, it was worth a shot. You raised your arm up a bit and inspected your wrist. Your veins were still a bit black. Looks like even apophis venom was resistant even to a cancer wash.

“Her Highness cares about all beings in her realm, you included. Especially you. In return, all she asks is our trust and complicity. This land… It is as the Demon Lord had envisaged all the world. A never-ending tumult of love and lust. Passion made manifest.” She mused, looking longingly out the latticed window over the streets below.

Stretching, she turned back towards you to give you a melancholic smile. “That’s why so many servants of Eros flock to Apliseline. You can ask any of them if Nauraea’s love is true.”

“Apliseline… Is that what they call this place?” you asked.

The lamia stopped crushing with her pestle. “Yes. My, how embarrassing that you came so far without even learning where you are.”

You coughed hard. Flecks of mana spattered the crook of your arm. Looks like this was turning into an all-night affair.

“Don’t worry, it will be over by tomorrow night. You’ll feel a bit sick until the last of the venom flushes out of your system. Take this powder before you go to bed, and when you wake up. And make sure you drink plenty of water.” Said the lamia.

“Can I go to bed?” you asked groggily.

“You can, and in fact, I think that would be a good idea.” Said the doctor. Wheeling out a rickety looking wooden wheelchair and helped you slump into it. She draped a blanket over you, which you gratefully accepted.

Maybe it was the drugs, or the traces of lethal poison circulating through your cerebrum, but the palace felt more peaceful now. The sun was setting, and the halls were empty save for a few guards changing post or housekeepers (palace keepers?) changing some linens. You could already hear the din of monsters copulating with their husbands, both from the city streets below and other rooms within the palace. It didn’t bother you. When you lived in a monster city, you lived with the incessant sound of meaty slaps and moans. Part and parcel. 

You squirmed under the blanket. Something was different about Apliseline. It was the same old sounds made for the same old reasons as Admaz, the Chiropta castle, and Valisias. This fucking sounded more… earnest. More furious and less sensual.

Fuck. You really HAD been in this crazy world for too long if you could get into sexual semantics based on thigh acoustics.

Your runaway train of thought was mercifully interrupted as your charge stopped your chair used the knocker on a massive door to announce herself.

“Your Highness? I’m coming in.” said the doctor.

The doors opened from the inside. Nauraea stood in the doorway, breathing a bit too heavily for someone who should have been lounging around their bedroom.

“Ahh! Sauritus! You brought him. Good. I’ll take him off your hands. You are dismissed, but sleep lightly lest I nee-“

“No.”

The doctor’s interjection startled both you and Nauraea. Maybe you weren’t TOTALLY without allies in this kingdom…

“W-What? What do you MEAN no?!” stammered Nauraea.

“He’s on death’s door. My medicine is the only thing keeping him alive. And YOU…” she pointed at Nauraea, who stared at the accusing finger. “Want to finish the job. Anon needs rest. Rest WITHOUT interruption. So either you find a guest room to sleep in, or I’ll find one for him. I forbid you from coming into contact with him until I deem him healthy.”

Nauraea stammered out the start of a few expletives and threats before groaning and throwing her hands up.

“Fine! My authority usurped in my own palace by my own head physician. Ha!” muttered Nauraea. “Guards! Prepare me a separate room. Anon sleeps in my bed. He has been bathed, correct?”

“He has.” Said Sauritus.

“Good. I don’t want sand in my sheets. Have him ready for tomorrow morning. I want him to be present for court tomorrow.”  
Nauraea slithered off to find another place to sleep.

“Court… Not a chance.” Chuckled Sauritus. She wheeled you inside.

Nauraea’s room was everything you would expect for an empress of decadence. Fluffy pillows everywhere, a MASSIVE bed (even for an apophis), shelves of liquor, hookah pipes, expensive carpets, mirrors on the ceiling, and curtains that looked thicker than the carpets. Through a doorway on the far wall, a sprawling balcony overlooked Apliseline.

“The bathroom is just through that doorway. Can you walk?” asked Sauritus.

You nodded and wobbled out of the chair. Sauritus slithered along beside you, ready to catch you if you fell on your way to the sprawling expanse of mattress. Flopping down onto the bed, you crawled towards the pillows at the headboard.

“Call someone if you need anything. I mean it. Food, water, medicine…”

“I’ll be alright. I just need some sleep.” You said.

Sauritus pursed her lips and nodded. “Very well, Your Majesty.”

You sighed. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Yes, Yo-… Very well.”

Sauritus gave a short bow and left the room. Grabbing the nearest pillow, you stuffed it under your head and fell asleep without even bothering to pull the covers over yourself.

~~~~~~~~

“Aaaanoooooon~”

Something prodded your nose. You scrunched your face and rolled over. A pair of hands began to rock you back and forth.

“Aaaanooon~ Time to wake up~ Coooooourt is about to start.”

“Fuck off, I’m sleeping.” You grumbled. Last night had been an onslaught of nightmares and fitful sleep. Whether that was the mana poisoning or sleeping in a new location, you couldn’t tell. And you had to get up to relieve yourself what felt like every hour. Seriously, was apophis venom a diuretic or something!?

“Fuck off?! My own fiancé tells ME to ‘fuck off’ in MY palace?!” bellowed Nauraea. Lilith’s nips she was loud…

“If you didn’t want me to be rude, you shouldn’t have abducted me, you fat bitch.” You snapped.

“FAT?!”

Nauraea’s tail coiled itself around you with enough force to crack your back. You screamed as your blissful morning snooze was turned into a violent struggle against your bride-to-be.

“You petulant little shit! I heard that you could be aggravating, but I never thought you could be THIS stupid...” Seethed Nauraea.  
Someone began pounding on the door.

“Is this door LOCKED?! Your Highness! Open the door this instant! I know you can hear m- Don’t touch me, you savage! Huh? I don’t care what her ‘orders’ were! Let me in!”

Sauritus began to scuffle with the guards over the right to enter the room. Nauraea stared at the entrance to the room. Turning her attention back to you, she pulled one of your arms out from her tail coil. Fuck she was strong. She wasn’t very muscular, (or fat, you had just said that to piss her off), but powerful monsters seemed to retain some sort of freakish strength just by virtue of the mana they housed. Nauraea held your forearm to the sliver of light streaking through the curtains and hummed.

“Still a little black, I suppose…” she said, tracing a vein with one of her nails. She snorted. “What a pain.”

Unravelling from you, she used her tail to dexterously flip the sheets up and tuck you into the bed. You just stared at her in bewilderment, perplexed by her mood swing.

“Don’t look at me like that. I told you, I only want what’s best for you.” Chided Nauraea. “So… get some sleep and recover quickly. I need you healthy.”

Was she blushing?! You continued to watch the apophis as she leaned in for a kiss. Just before she made contact, she cracked her saffron eyes to see you staring back like a cornered animal.

“I said stop looking at me like that!” she snapped. “You are so… Oooh!”

Giving up on her breakfast smooch, she quickly slithered to the door and threw it open. Sauritus got into a brief argument with her before entering the room.

“Anon! Are you alright? She didn’t try anything, did she?” asked Sauritus, twisting your face in inspecting your eyes.

“No, she didn’t do anything.” You strained, shoving her hands out of your face.

Sauritus sighed. “Thank the moon. I brought you some breakfast and some medicine. Make sure you eat before you take it, or you’ll get cramps.”

“Then I can go back to sleep?” you asked.

“Yes.”

One of the guards brought in a tray of food and a cup of water. Sauritus took another blood sample from your left arm as you used your right to shovel the bread and hash into your mouth as fast as possible.

“Hmm… Looks like you still have a few lingering traces of venom in your blood, but that’s not unexpected. Even with the antivenom, it can take months to fully clear.” Said Sauritus.

“Okay.” You said, hardly listening to what she was saying.

The doctor sighed. “That means you can’t let her bite you anymore. Not even a nibble. I don’t care how horny she gets, put corks on her fangs if you have to.”

“I will.”

“Are you even listening?!”

“Uh huh.”  
Sauritus sighed. “At least you two are a good match for each other…”

“We aren’t matched yet.” You said.

“Oh, forgive me. I’m sure that you’ll find some way to escape the city, cross hundreds of miles of scorching, monster infested desert, dodging the patrols Her Highness sends after you, find a way to sail to Zipangu, and marry a ryu.” Said Sauritus.

You set your silverware down on the empty tray. “Something like that.”

Sauritus chuckled. “Then I wish you luck, Your Majesty.”

She picked up the tray and slithered out the door.

“I said don’t call me that!” you called after her.

Pulling the covers over yourself, you tried to fall back asleep.

~~~~~~~

You lay awake in Nauraea’s bed. The day was almost over, but you had just finished a several hour nap. With some food and sleep, you were beginning to feel better after the bite. You rubbed your sore shoulder. Those fangs felt even bigger than they looked. At least she hadn’t taken any of your shoulder with her when she pulled away…

Not much to do, though. Nauraea didn’t look like much of a book person. There was more sex paraphernalia than literature in the room. Your journal was no doubt in the hands of Tsakali or Nauraea now, so you couldn’t archive the day’s events. Magic practice was out of the question, both out of necessity to conserve your strength and the lassitude you felt from the mana poisoning. Maybe the guards would let you roam around the palace?

“NOW can I see him?”

You could hear Nauraea’s voice through the door even when she was down the hall.

“Finally. Yes, I’ll make sure. Yes.”

The empress pushed open the door and quickly slithered inside. A pair of cooks brought in two trays of food, and left them on the table on the balcony. Giving you a small bow, they excused themselves and shut the door behind them.

“You must be hungry, love. Come here! Sit!” coaxed Nauraea, patting one of the sitting cushions with her tail.

You REALLY didn’t want to eat dinner with your potential rapist, but your will power was shattered when she lifted the cloche of the first tray. The smell of perfectly seasoned meats, fresh bread, and succulent vegetables was too much for your empty stomach. Rolling out of bed, you walked over as fast as your enervated legs allowed.

“Mmm~ That’s a good boy~” cooed Nauraea as you slumped down onto the cushion.

You quickly began shoveling food onto your plate, but Nauraea caught your wrist with her tail.

“No need to rush, husband. You should be relaxing. Here, allow me.”

Using her fork, she skewered a chunk of meat and offered it to you. You glowered at her.

“Come now, there’s no need to be spiteful. I promise I’ll make up that bite to you. If you let me.” Said Nauraea.

“I almost died.”

She flinched at your accusation and cleared her throat. 

“I may have been a bit… over-eager to meet you, but I hope that you can forgive me for that first impression. I’m your wife, and I’ll do anything in my power to make you happy and comfortable. Anything~” she said with a wink. Thrusting her fork forward, she tried to jam the meat into your mouth. You accepted the fact that this meal was going to progress at her pace no matter what you did or said, and allowed her to put the morsel into your mouth. Her grip on your wrist loosened as the tip of her tail waggled happily.

“How does it taste?” she asked, clearly excited that you had finally become a bit more amicable.

“…Good.”

She smiled. “Wonderful! If you behave, I’ll have the chefs cook you up some food from your world.”

The meal continued, with Nauraea alternating between feeding herself and you. Eventually, she released your hands entirely, opting instead to rest her tail on your lap. The whole situation seemed so surreal. Here you were, eating dinner with the woman who had abducted and almost killed you, enjoying a tranquil view of Sodom 2.0.

“Nauraea…”

“Yes, love?” said Nauraea. Oh, it was so strange to see her blush like that…

“Why did you bring me here?”

The question caught her off guard. She set the fork down (much to your hungry chagrin) and looked out over the city.

“Tell me, Anon, what do you see when you look out across my empire?” she asked.

“A city.” You said flatly.

“Come now, you and I both know that there’s always more to a city than its buildings. There’s a certain… atmosphere that pervades a city. An intangible sensation that captivates the mind and defines the denizens.”

You took a sip of wine. Better drink up, sounds like she had this whole spiel prepared ahead of time. Nauraea slithered to the edge of the balcony and spread her arms at the city.

“…And the atmosphere of Apliseline is one of perfection. A flawless iteration of what a mamono settlement SHOULD be. Here, lust and love are the most important values we hold. Money, possessions, power… all mere means to achieve more love. And I am their exemplar, for I have the most love to give. By my love, I conquered this city, and forged an empire in the name of the principals and values of the Demon Lord.”

The first few moans of the night were beginning to echo up from the labyrinth of buildings below. As depraved as it was, you had come to enjoy the sound of mamono moaning. No matter how rough or gravelly their voice was normally, they all sounded like songbirds in the sack.

“I think I missed the part where I come into play in all that.” You said.

“Because I need you.” She said solemnly.

You cocked an eyebrow at her from behind your wine cup. Nauraea didn’t seem like the kind of monster who would ask for help, even if she needed it.

“There are forces that seek to destroy all I have created. You are powerful. More powerful than you know. And I need that power. It may sound craven, but I feel safer with you.”

How very… out of character for an apophis.

“By forces, I assume you mean Nefkara?” you asked.

Nauraea clenched the wall of the balcony. “Yes.”

“And by destroy, you mean…?”

“Raze! Topple! Crush! Bring to ruination!” said Nauraea. She slithered back over to you and slammed her hands onto the table. “That brown prude seeks to undo EVERYTHING I have done for these people, and monster kind!”

You gulped. Nauraea composed herself and sat back down on her cushion pile.

“Now that I have you though, I finally have the upper hand after all these years. With your power, I shall finally conquer that false queen, and block out the sun for eternity!”

“Does Nefkara frown upon sex? I mean, she’s a monster too after all.”

“You don’t get it! She is my antithesis! The first and last enemy whom my blood demands I conquer! Only when she is brought to heel, crushed by my hand, can my soul finally know rest. A human wouldn’t understand. Even now, I can sense her.” Nauraea looked east. “I can ALWAYS sense her. An itch that I cannot scratch. THAT is why you are needed. As one, we shall march upon Kyriavalissa, and subdue Nefkara. There are others too; other smaller pharaohs that challenge my rightful rule and pyramids with slumbering mamono, waiting to be awakened. But you and I shall liberate the Capsalisma, and turn this desert into the oasis of depravity our Lady envisioned it to be.” She said, leering at you with an wide eyes and an unhinged grin.

“So I’m a convenient power source for your world conquest.” You said.

Nauraea shook her head. “You are MUCH more than that. When I first heard rumors that a human had been successfully summoned to this world, I was interested in the magic that brought you here. Then, I learned more about you. About your culture, your language, your personality. An indomitable spirit who refused to yield to any will but his own. And then I was enthralled. You were everything I was looking for: strong, handsome, and determined.”

You weren’t so sure about some of those adjective she used for you. A good chunk of your time here in the mamono world had been spent unconscious or at the mercy of some stupidly powerful monster.

“To you, it may seem as if you are being held hostage. But once we are joined in a more ‘formal’ sense, you will see. I am more adept at expressing my loves in ways other than words~” she flicked her tongue at you.

You finished your wine. Her love and loyalty were still dubious. It seemed to you like she was married to the job, as they said back on Earth. She finished her own wine and licked her lips. You watched her deep purple tongue trace over those soft, pillowy lips. Dios mio…  
“Are you finished with your meal?” asked Nauraea, eyeing your empty plate.

“Yes.”

“Did you take the medicine Sauritus sent over?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then I think it’s about time we retire for the night.” Said Nauraea with a warm smile.

“We? What do you mean ‘we’?” you asked.

“Calm yourself, dear. Sauritus made it VERY clear what my limits are. I promise I am capable of restraining myself until your body is ready to accept my splendor in all its glory.” Said Nauraea.

“So you’re going to sleep somewhere else?”

“No, silly. I’ll be sleeping with you!” she said cheerily.

“That’s a death sentence!” you objected.

“No it isn’t! Sauritus said that as long as there wasn’t any penetration or fluid exchange you would be fine!”

“What, are you just going to spoon me all night and leave it at that?” you asked sarcastically.

Nauraea frowned. “Yes, that’s EXACTLY what’s going to happen. You may be a king now, but I am still your queen. You would do well to remember your place, husband.”

“I think I’LL go find some other place to sleep.” You said.

As you stepped away from the table, Nauraea caught your ankle with her tail and tripped you.

“You don’t get a say in the matter! I’m your queen damnit!”

Seizing your torso with her tail, she quickly disrobed you.

“YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T GOING TO RAPE ME!” you shouted.

“Be quiet! These things are filthy! You can just sleep naked for tonight!” said Nauraea.

Slithering to the bed with you in tow, she deposited you onto the bed and quickly crawled in after you. You were subdued in an instant, wrapped tightly in her coils with her torso sitting on top of you.

“There…” panted Nauraea. “Oh Moon and Stars, I hope you still fight like that when we make love…”

She adjusted her tail so that her human body could hug you a bit better.

“Do you want to sleep on my breasts?~” she teased.

“No.”

She squeezed your waist. You were sporting a sizable erection, but being squeezed by a beautiful woman with silky smooth scales and having one of the most potent aphrodisiacs in the world coursing through your veins would do that to anyone.

“Liar~” she grinned.

Scooting your body up, she undid the clasp of her bra and deposited your head into her cleavage. The sounds of the world were drowned out by the soft mounds of tit-flesh, save for the quiet rhythmic thumping of her heart.

“Comfy?” she asked in a husky whisper.

“…Yes.” you begrudgingly admitted. She DID have a quite sizable chest...

She ran her fingers through your hair. You weren’t a huge fan of long nails, but they felt heavenly running across your scalp. Nauraea seemed to catch on to your pleasure, digging in a bit farther on her next pass across your head.

“Soon, love. Soon we’ll be able to spend every moment like this.” She whispered.

You were too tired to respond. Her body was the perfect heat: cool, but not cold. The pressure of her tail rose and fell in time with her breaths, massaging you to sleep.


	41. Chapter 41

Ahh, the early morning. A time of peace. A time of reflection. A time to think of the wonders of the coming day. You watched the first rays of dawn creep down the wall as the sun peeked through the curtains.

Nauraea snored loudly. Someone screamed at a vendor about the price of bread outside in the street. A guard was getting busy with her man a few balconies over. You had to pee.

A perfect tranquil morning in Apliseline.

“Oy, ‘wife,’ get up.” You said.

Nauraea hugged you tighter into her chest. Her coils had mercifully kept you facing forward during the night. If you had twisted around, you probably would have smothered in her tits. You thrashed around a bit.

“I said let me go!” you said.

Nauraea groaned and released you. Her coils unraveled, spilling you out onto the bed as she stretched her arms and tail. You quickly dashed into the bathroom, eliciting some sort of predatory response from your alleged fiancé.

“Hey!” she shouted, following you into the bathroom. “Where do you think you- oh.”

You ignored her, and relived yourself. Nauraea quickly excused yourself when she realized that you weren’t actually making a break for it. After a quick hand wash, you hesitantly peeked out of the bathroom.

“You said that you would have some clothes for me in the morning.” You said.

“Yes, the seamstress should have them finished. Come have a seat while I have them delivered.” Said Nauraea. She opened the door and said something to one of the guards.

She had a point. You HAD just spent the night wrapped in her arms. And tail. Slinking out of the bathroom, you took a seat on one of the many pillow piles scattered about the room and used a smaller throw pillow to preserve what little dignity you had left.

“It’s here!” exclaimed Nauraea.

That wasn’t good. If Maranth had taught you anything, it was that monsters are NEVER this excited to dress you in normal clothing.  
“Try it on!” said Nauraea slithering over to you. She flicked the pillow away and handed you a pile of linens. She smiled as she saw your dick, still stiff from her venom and the night you had spent sandwiched in her chest.

“Still feeling sore? Maybe you’d like to let off a little stress~” said Nauraea, waggling her tongue at you and groping her breasts.

You grit your teeth and looked away. It was almost too tempting. “Sauritus said-“

“Sauritus said no fluid EXCHANGE. Since that includes saliva and even sweat to an extent, I can’t lay a hand on you. But YOU on the other hand… You have no such limitations.” She prodded your balls with the tip of her tail. You winced and shoved it away. “Everything in there is already mine; whether you like it or not. Do not forget, dear husband: I am your queen. If I command you to relinquish your seed to me, you will. Your flippancy extends only as far as I allow it, never forget that.” She sneered.

You snatched the clothes out of her hand and quickly laid them out. Damn her. She was right though, until you got enough juice to fight back, you were at her mercy. Her tail alone was enough to incapacitate you at will.

A few days was all you needed to recover, Suaritus’s medicine was working wonders. After that, it wouldn’t matter how strong Nauraea was. All you needed to do was escape. Find a cart or caravan heading out of town and ride off into the sunset. Piece of cake.

“…Where’s the rest of it?” you inquired.

Nauraea chuckled. “Whatever do you mean, love?”

“This is just a waistcloth.” You said, holding the short piece up for her to see.

“And?”

Come to think of it, this DID seem par for the course for monster fashion. She was an apophis after all.

“So, no shirt? No shawl? Nothing to cover my torso?” you said dryly.

“None. Now put that thing on, I’m already running late.” Said Nauraea.

You grumbled out a protest, but acquiesced her request. Knowing her, she was liable to drag you to court naked if you didn’t do as she said.

“Cute!” said Nauraea, clasping her hands together. “You look so dashing. I see all that time in Valisisas did you well. I’ll have to send Maranth a thank-you present.”

“Was she in on this?!” you asked.

Nauraea frowned. “Hmm? What do you mean ‘this’?”

“Kidnapping me!”

“Oh! No, Maranth didn’t have a hand in that scheme. If she had been present when you left, she may have been able to see through the ruse, but the letter I sent was a perfect forgery, using Nefkara’s own letterhead. Tsakali trained for weeks to deliver the speech. There was no reason for any present to doubt the legitimacy of the offer or your ‘abduction’.”

You slumped back into your seat. At least Maranth hadn’t sold you out. Nauraea’s tail slipped around you and lifted you to your feet.  
“Are you going to mope all day?” scolded Nauraea. “Either you accompany me to the dining hall, or YOU are going to be my breakfast.”

“You’d have to kill me to get it.” You said.

“Is that a threat, or a fact?”

“More of the latter, I suppose.” You sighed.

Nauraea slithered out the door, and you hurried after her.

Walking through the palace was a strange ordeal. You had been a guest in other mansions or castles during your travels, but never as the king or count of those edifices. Hell, most of the undead in the Chiropta castle had been mocking or condescending. To the other nobles and their servants, you were an oddity. A curious creature sojourning through their house, here to satisfy their simple fascination with your circumstances.

Here, the men and monsters eyed you with respect. Nauraea had already inculcated her guards and staff to respect you as their ruler. Soldiers snapped to attention as the two of you passed. Servants bowed and stepped aside. It COULD just be Nauraea’s presence, but you somehow doubted that. Even Sauritus, who had directly gone against her Queen’s wishes to protect you, referred to you as her king.  
The notion was discomforting. You never set out in this world to be a tyrant. All you wanted was a nice dragon-snake wife and a little slice of the world to raise your family. Ruling over monsters, being responsible for their safety and prosperity, making the decisions that shaped their lives… none of it had ever been appealing to you. Monsters were naturally obstinate anyway; royalty was more of a suggestion to most of them.

The scent of food brought your attention back to more immediate concerns. Was that bacon? The dining room sprawled out before you, arranged so that the morning light illuminated the room without blinding the occupants. Platters of bacon, eggs, and toast were scattered across the great sandstone table.

“Surprised? I had the cooks prepare something from your world. Though I suppose we eat this here too…” said Nauraea.

“That’s a lot of food…” you said. It looks like the cooks had taken her request a little too literally: there was ONLY bacon, eggs, and toast. An entire coop’s worth of eggs, a stockyard worth of bacon, and several loaves of toast went into this feast. They had at least had the decency to cook the eggs in different ways.

“Fret not, husband. Now that you are by my side, you need never go hungry again.” Said Nauraea proudly. She coiled herself around one of the lamia seats and gestured for you to take the seat across from her.

Driven by your hunger, you sat down and began piling your plate with various types of eggs. Nauraea began filling her own plate, heaping on even more than you. Not that it surprised you; she was like twenty five feet long. Minimum.

“I must say, I am used to more extravagant meals, but I do appreciate a return to the basics every so often.” Said Nauraea, taking a bite of bacon.

“We ate other things too. You don’t have to feed me the same things every day.” You said.

Nauraea nodded. “Tomorrow I shall have the chefs cook you a proper Capsalisman breakfast.”

The two of you ate breakfast in silence. You because you had nothing to say, and Nauraea because she was absolutely demolishing her food. Usually lamia tended to eat like normal monsters, but Nauraea seemed to express the snake trait of swallowing her prey whole. She inhaled piece after piece of bacon and bread at a worrying pace. Worrying to others. If she choked on a slice of pumpernickel, you could probably use the ensuing chaos to slip out of the city.

Your bread-icide fantasies were interrupted by the sound of footfalls and wheezing. Nauraea perked up, and slumped down into her chair.  
“She’s early…” muttered Nauraea.

Tsakali sprinted into the dining room carrying a box of scrolls. Panting, she gave a small salute. “Your Highness… Your Majesty… You both need to come quickly… Court is about to begin!” 

“Yes, Vizier. I am aware of what time it is.” Said Nauraea, keeping her attention on her plate.

“Then please, make haste Your Highness! Surely you have consumed your caloric quota for breakfast, so finis-“

Nauraea swept the anubis’ legs with her tail. Tsakali yowled and collapsed, dropping the scrolls she carried.

“You-you INSOLENT little sycophant! *I* decide when I am done eating. ME! What are you insinuating, hmm? Are you calling me FAT?!” said Nauraea, blushing furiously. She began to slap Tsakali around like some sort of canine hockey puck with her tail. You took another bite of bacon. 

“Never! I-I JUST WANT YOU TO BE ON TIME!” screamed Tsakali.

“Damnable little… Anon!” snapped Nauraea. You coughed and straightened. She may not be a pharaoh, but after ruling for a few centuries she had her royal voice down pat. “Finish your food. If you’re hungry, I’ll have the servants bring something for you during court. As much as loath to admit it, my neurotic adviser is right: I need to be in court. Today is a special occasion.”

“Why the hell do you need ME in your court?” you asked.

“You’re a king! You need to learn how to rule. One day I will rely on you to handle a portion of the empire’s affairs.” Said Nauraea.

“Eww. Pass.”

“You don’t get a say in this!” shouted Nauraea. “Now come!”

Nauraea slithered past the sniveling ball of black fur on the ground and out the door. You finished your eggs, and left the plate with a piece of bacon on it next to Tsakali before hurrying after Nauraea.

~~~~~~~

“Anon, give me your hand.” Said Nauraea.

“What? No.” you said.

“Give! We need to look good for this.” Said Nauraea. She used her tail to scoot you closer, combing your hair into a more presentable fashion with her fingers.

“I always look good.” You said.

Nauraea chuckled. “I think you will be a welcome addition to court. It can be so dull sometimes. Now, your hand?”

You hesitated.

“Don’t make me take it.” She said sternly.

You surrendered, and offered her your left hand. She seized it, interlocking her fingers with yours. “That’s a good boy~”

Nauraea nodded to the guards, and they opened the door to the throne atrium. Again, the floor was filled with crowds of monsters. All heads turned to ogle you and your captor as she paraded you towards the throne.

“Smile.” She hissed through a beam of her own. Her hand clenched yours a bit tighter. You gave a polite smile to the monsters around you.

Nauraea directed you to the throne. She slithered into her throne, another one of those special lamia chairs, and subtly gestured for you to take a seat in her coils. You eyed the squirming pile of lustrous purple scales apprehensively.

“Sit.”

Nauraea adjusted her lower body to form a small bowl in her coils. You stepped in and sat down, reclining against her cool scales. For a tube of muscle, her tail did have a pleasant amount of give too it. Not too firm, not too soft.

The crowd gathered around the throne, excitedly talking amongst themselves. Nauraea stood (lamia stood, she propped herself up with her tail) from her throne and addressed the court.

“My proud subjects, today, as you all know, is a most auspicious occasion!” she boomed.

The crowd cheered.

“Long have I searched to find a man worthy to breed, one who could confer to me the power to accomplish what we have sought for centuries: to annihilate the Pharaohs, and to darken the sky for eternity!”

Fuck this, you didn’t sign up to be the lube in the engine of geno/heliocide. A chorus of incensed shouts from the court prompted Nauraea to continue.

“Though he is weak in his current state, his soul grows more robust by the day. The day I copulate with him will be the last dawn! I will reign supreme over all the Capsalisma, a dark empress, herald of the will of the Demon Lord! Steel yourselves! Victory is at hand! Soon we shall march upon Kyriavalissa, and drag the false goddess into the darkness.”

The nobles applauded. Some dressed in white robes with black snake print snaking over their cloaks kneeled before the throne. Great. Cultists. Why not?

“But you need not trouble yourself with the worries of the future today. Today, we celebrate Anon’s arrival. A human from beyond the stars. Unlike any other mortal to tread this world. Though he knows little of our language or our customs, he is wise and intelligent. I am certain that he will make a fine king to rule at my side.” Said Nauraea.

Everyone shifted their attention to you. You slouched down farther into Nauraea’s coils. What the hell did they want from you? A tap-dance?

“Preparations are already underway for our wedding. It is to be a public affair, on a date yet to be determined. Anon and I will be joined on the alter, and all lovers are free to revel with us as the venom-wine flows!”

A magic induced orgy, drugs, and free booze. What more could a monster want? Nauraea may be a cunt, but she knew how to connect with her constituency. The nobles quickly started chattering amongst themselves at the prospect.

“Rejoice, but do not shirk your duties to the empire. We must prepare for war. Anon’s arrival is no doubt known to the worm Nefkara; if she marches upon Apliseline, we must be ready to repulse the attack.”

Nauraea eased back into the seat portion of the throne. “I know many of you have traveled far with pressing matters, but I feel that it is important that you learn more of your king. Tsakali, do you have it?”

Tsakali perked up and rifled through the box she was carrying until she produced your lightly toasted journal.

“Hey!” you shouted. Nauraea flexed her coils so that you fell backwards into the gap in her tail. You tried to fight back, but she quickly squeezed the defiance out of you.

“He is still quite shy. Isn’t he cute?” said Nauraea, patting your exposed head. The monsters of the court snickered as you glared back at them. “I’ve studied his culture extensively, but I know so little about him beyond the brief introductions in the books and rumors passed down along the caravan lines. Written introductions and gossip can only tell me so much; today we learn what kind of man Anon REALLY is.”

You gulped. Tsakali squirmed. You made eye contact with her. She silently pleaded for help. Oh NO.

“Nauraea, dear, what are you doing?” you asked, trying to keep your composure.

“I told you, darling, I’m getting to know you better.” She said.

“If you have any questions, I can just answer them for you.” You offered.

“Yes, that would be much faster.” Added Tsakali.

Nauraea cradled your chin in her hand. “Hmm… But would you tell me the truth? ALL the truths I longed to hear?~”

“Of course!”

It was a damn lie and you both knew it. You could feel the heat pouring off your face as blood raced into your cheeks.

“I think I’ll just take the REAL you’s word for it.” She said with narrowed eyes and a threatening smile.

Tsakali was a mess. You had seen cheerier folks on the gallows.

“Tsakali, pass me a copy of my notes, would you?” demanded Nauraea. Tsakali handed a scroll to a soldier, who dashed up the steps and handed the parchment to Nauraea. “Now, what shall we start with… How about your taste in women? I’m curious to see what kind of lover you desire.”

“A ryu-“

“I know what you want.” Snapped Nauraea. A few monsters in the crowd whispered to each other. You were surprised Nauraea would admit that she wasn’t your first choice. “But if you’re after one of those rain-harlots, I can’t be far behind. And soon, you’ll learn that I’m better than them in every way. Tsakali!”

“Yes!” yelped Tsakali, snapping to attention.

“During your debriefing, you mentioned that Anon had made a comprehensive list of species he would like to wed, correct?” said Nauraea.  
“W-well, there were a few DIFFERENT lists and my translations were probably wrong anyways. Anon, an apophis is your SECOND choice for a wife, RIGHT?” Tsakali grit her teeth and smiled at you.

“Naturally!” you said.

“Oh? So, there isn’t a, quote: “comprehensive list of more than one hundred and fifty different species, meticulously organized into a definitive list in accordance with Anon’s tastes in monsters” end quote?” said Nauraea.

Tsakali gulped. “O-oh… THAT list… Yes, I suppose that IS in his journal…”

Nauraea’s tail flicked impatiently. “Read it, Vizier.”

Tsakali flipped through your journal to a crude table you had sketched. “Number one, ryu. Number two… ushi-oni. Nu-“

“AN USHI?!” bellowed Nauraea. Her coils wrapped around you. Your ribs creaked as she began to squeeze. “Your second choice for a wife would be one of those disgusting, hairy savages?! They’re hardly literate! Is that what you want, you little masochist? Being dragged into a cave and violated for the rest of your life?”

“Your Highness, please!” pleaded Tsakali.

Nauraea grit her teeth and sighed. “Fine. Fine. Am I at least his third choice?” You gulped as you watched Nauraea’s nails scrape into the armrests of her throne.

“No…” said Tsakali softly.

Nauraea clenched you tighter. “What position is apophis in, Tsakali?”

“You’re near the top!” said Tsakali hopefully.

“What. Position.” Hissed Nauraea.

Tsakali looked at the crowd, then Nauraea, then you. You begged her with your eyes not to tell her. Tsakali gave you a pitied look and turned away.

“…Twenty third.”

A breeze blew through the atrium. The only sound was the rustling of paper, and the sound of sand being blown about in the corner.  
“…Twenty third?” said Nauraea softly.

Tsakali looked away. A few nobles excused themselves, ducking out the door before the situation got any worse.

“TWENTY THIRD?!”

Nauraea seized your throat and lifted you out of her tail. You kicked weakly as she let you dangle by your neck.

“Of all the mamono species in the world, you found TWENTY-THREE FILTHY, MUNDANE, SPECIMINES that you deemed better than me, an APOPHIS?! Scion of the Moon, Mistress of Chaos?! I’m ROYALTY, you ignorant slime! Do you even know the power I wield?!”

You tried to pry her hands off to no avail.

“Who are they, Anon? Who were the harlots who swayed your heart?” said Nauraea, bringing you closer. “Vizier, keep reading.”

Tsakali watched helplessly as you struggled in Nauraea’s grip. Flipping back to the table she continued to read.

“Hellhound… Manticore… Amazon… Lava golem… Gandharva…”

With every name Tsakali read, Nauraea’s hands tightened a bit more. You craned your head back, desperate to get as much air into your lungs as her rapacious fingers would allow.

“Cupid… Jinko… Apophis.” Said Tsakali.

Everyone in the atrium was now visibly uncomfortable. Even the stoic mummy guards were now averting their eyes. The world was greying out as Nauraea’s nails dug into your skin.

“Barbarians. Peasants. Weaklings. I offer you everything, and you would choose some BACKWOODS, CLUB-WIELDING BARBARIAN over ME?! THEY can’t protect you, Anon. They can’t give you what you want; only *I* can. So WHY?!

“Is it the way they would take you? Do you yearn to be savaged so badly? Is your recalcitrance just a ploy? A game you play to entice women like me into ravaging you?”

You coughed and dropped your arms to your side. Her grip loosened.

“Weak women for a weak man. Pathetic.” Spat Nauraea. She repositioned her tail and dropped you into it.

You coughed as she re-wrapped you in her tail. You could feel the tension in her body. Every few seconds she would gently squeeze you like some kind of desk-top stress toy.

“How thoroughly displeasing. Though I suppose if it was easy to sway his heart, someone would have done so already. At least he’s principled, if lacking in taste…”

She gently caressed your cheek. “You’ll soon learn of the all-consuming pleasure I shall subject you too. No man could resist. Once I can take you properly, I’ll show you what REAL debauchery is~”

The nobles watched the scene unfold in discomfort. Tsakali’s ears were still flattened against her head.

“Vizier, I think that we’ve heard enough for one day. What is the first matter I attend to today?” said Nauraea, segueing into the next part of her day as if nothing had happened.

“A tax dispute with one of the caravan companies, Your Highness.” Said Tsakali, quickly stowing your journal before her boss could change her mind.

“Hmm. Taxes. Listen well, Anon. You’ll be expected to settle matters like this after we are wed.”

A portly man accompanied by his harpy wife waddled towards the throne and bowed. You zoned out as he began pleading his case for a small tax exemption, citing profits, current tax rates, his inventory and how a new system would be more profitable for both the city and himself. None of your business.

“Nauraea!”

The doors to the atrium were flung open and Sauritus slithered up the steps of the throne.

“What did you do to Anon? I overheard some of the nobles gossiping about how you were going to rip him apart!”

“I did nothing of the sort! See for yourself, if you’re so inclined, you hysteric.” Scoffed Nauraea.

Sauritus gasped. She lifted your chin and gently touched your throat.

“What happened to his neck?! Were you STRANGLING him?!”

“Oh, please. He could still breathe. I’ve seen your husband do worse to you in bed. Now cease your fussing and leave, or I’ll have the guards remove you instead.” Said Nauraea.

“You arrogant-…” Sauritus cut her rebuttal short. The lamia slithered off with a huff, exiting the atrium again.

“I don’t know whether to punish her for being so nosy, or give her a raise for being so dedicated…” said Nauraea.

“…Shall I continue then, Your Highness?” offered the merchant.

“Yes, yes. Get on with it.” Nauraea began massaging your scalp with one hand as she listened.

You tried your best to listen as well, but the affairs and political maneuvering of the Capsalisma ere lost on you. Nauraea swiftly and conclusively ended every dispute, inquiry, and request her populace had to offer her. You hadn’t been sure whether or not Nauraea would actually care about the affairs of her empire, but she did seem to listen to even the humblest guest and deliver a fair verdict. Harsh sometimes, but never so harsh that the solicitor questioned the judgment. Tsakali acted as a stenographer, taking down the solicitor, their issue, and Nauraea’s solution. The whole process was like clockwork. How the hell were sex-demon/monster hybrids better at bureaucracy than humans?

“Your husband is so cute! I’ve never seen anything like him!” gushed a tanned succubus who was there to give some agricultural report.

“Isn’t he? Feisty little thing, but that just makes it more fun~” said Nauraea.

“Hey there, Your Majesty! Have you had your first taste of venom yet? I’m jealous you get to taste it every day.” Crooned the succubus.  
“He’s getting there. I gave him a dose when he arrived, and he’s still recovering. When his body recovers, I’ll give him a second taste.” Said Nauraea, licking her lips.

“Your Highness, how fiendish! I hope you won’t get him TOO addicted to your juice. He does have to rule with you, after all.” Giggled the succubus.

Oh fuck, was that stuff addictive? Probably. Being addicted to apophis venom or the pleasure it provided sounded like something that would be in the encyclopedia...

“All the more reason to train his body to resist it. What can I say? I’m a biter~”

The succubus smirked. “I can’t wait to see what kind of faces he’ll make once you take him. Oh! I almost forgot!”

She clapped twice and one of her attendants shuffled forward with a box. The succubus opened the box and pulled out a black leather collar, gilded with silver patterns.

“I got you a wedding present! I heard that he could be a bit ‘rowdy,’ so I had this made for you!”

“Not a chance in cold hell.” You quipped.

The succubus sneered. “What a queer accent! I don’t think you’re going to have much of a say in the matter. Your Majesty.” Her voice oozed sarcasm. You’d have to get her name from Tsakali. She was going on a list.

“How darling! But I’m afraid I can’t accept just now. I’ll be taking gifts at a later time.” Said Nauraea.

“Very well, Empress. I see his neck is sore anyways.”

Nauraea frowned. “Will that be all?”

“Y-yes, Empress. Thank you for your time.”

The succubus quickly fled the atrium before she could further arouse Nauraea’s ire.

“His neck she says… Your neck is fine. Right?” said Nauraea.

You absentmindedly rubbed your throat. It was still a little sore, but you were otherwise unharmed. Nauraea seemed to be of a different mind. She gently traced certain areas of your neck, along what you presumed to be bruises. Her brows folded in concern.

“Yes, you are perfectly healthy. I shall have Sauritus give you an examination anyways when court is finished.” She said confidently. The nod she gave only convinced herself.

“Tsakali! Who is next?”

~~~~~~~~

“Anon, wake up.”

Nauraea shook you awake. You grunted and tried to stand up, unable to find footing on Nauraea’s coils.

“Court is over. Do try to at least feign interest in the future, please? I know that managing an empire can be a tedious affair, but Tsakali already manages the lion’s share of the queendom.”

Tsakali’s tail wagged. “With ease, might I add.”

“Does that mean I can go back to bed?” you asked.

“Nonsense! You spend all day lounging about on top of me, and now you want to go back to sleep? This is Apliseline! Humans and mamono the world over come here to revel in the decadence we offer.”

Indeed, the atrium had become a bit more packed since you had fallen asleep. Many monsters were now sitting upon swaths of cushions in the wings of the atrium, smoking, chatting, or making love to their spouses. A flock of harpies circled over the open roof of the atrium.

“There they are.” Said Nauraea.

The harpies descended into the atrium. Obviously they were part of the same troop, designated by the scant uniforms they wore. A mix of sirens, gandharvas, and burley harpies carrying instruments and gear.

“Hiya, Empress!~” chirped one of the sirens. “We’re all ready to play!”

“Thank you Novahall. You have a few minutes to prepare, I want to wait until I consecrate the first cask.”

“Sure thing, queenie! Say, that’s a cute boy yah found. I thought you were single?” said the siren, giving you a lecherous grin.

A gandharva sniffed the air. “He’s a virgin! Are you trying to savor the flavor, Your Highness?~”

“Not quite. The scent is actually quite distracting.” Said Nauraea, propping you up a bit more for the singers to see.

“If you ever get sick of him, I’ll take him off your hands~” joked one of the gandharvas.

Nauraea squeezed you tighter. Her lamia nature, your intractability, and the fact that you had listed gandharvas higher on your list than apophis was no doubt creating a trifecta of jealousy in her heart.

“Anon is quite content with me. Isn’t that right, husband?~” prompted Nauraea.

“Yes, dear.”

The harpies squealed gleefully.

“What a cute accent!”

“He’s so shy!”

“Isn’t this the human that was dredged up from the deep sea?”

“Do you think he knows any new songs?”

“Actually, he does have the lyrics to several songs from his world written in his journal…” said Tsakali.

“You gotta give us a copy later! We’re always looking for new songs to sing.” Said the lead siren.

“I can give you a translation, but Anon would have to give you the tune.” Said Tsakali.

“Thanks Anon!”

“I never agreed to… You know what? Yeah, sure. I’ll teach you some of the songs. Talk to Tsakali and set up a time.” You said. Time you spent teaching birds to play music was time out of Nauraea’s hands. The worst-case scenario would be having to teach them all the lyrics in a language they didn’t understand. Rape was off the table since Nauraea wouldn’t let you so much as sneeze without supervision.

A troop of servants entered the atrium carrying trays of food for the guests. Everyone picked at the plates a bit, but it was clear that they were waiting for something else. When a large cask was wheeled in on a cart, the crowd let out a raucous cheer. Nauraea slithered over to the cask, leaving you behind on the steps.

One of the servants affixed a large, flexible tube to the cask at the end of the spigot. Nauraea took the hose into her mouth and bit down without hesitation. On cue, the servant opened the cask, allowing the wine to pour out into a large bowl below.  
After a minute of pouring, Nauraea pulled out of the hose and wiped her mouth.

“As always, the first cup goes to me!” she announced.

The crowd cheered. Nauraea took a silver goblet from one of the servants and dipped it into the bowl. Slithering back to the throne, she smiled at you as the rest of the court descended upon the spiked wine.

“Mmm~… I wish you could taste this. Nothing like you’ve had before, I assure you that.” Said Nauraea.

The atrium descended into chaos. Any couple who downed the wine began fucking like animals, without regard for their surroundings. Nauraea’s tail wrapped around your torso and lifted you up.

“Hey! Don’t move me like this!” you said.

“Hush. Come here.”

Nauraea put you down on her lap (or whatever it was lamias had) and hugged you from behind with her free hand.

“Hmm… Anon?”

“…What?”

“Promise me you’ll get stronger fast. I want to do these things with you.” Said Nauraea, surveying the hedonism. She chugged the last of her wine and set the cup down on the armrest. Hugging you closer, she nuzzled the nape of your neck.

“Mmm… You smell so good… You don’t mind if I have another ‘taste,’ do you?”

You pulled away from her. “You said no biting!”

Nauraea pulled you back. “I didn’t say I was biting, boy.”

She rested your head against her breasts and dipped a hand into your short waistcloth. You winced at the feeling of her sharp nails on your shaft, but she was gentle enough not to scratch you.

“Easy now… Just relax~” said Nauraea softly.

You squirmed as she began to massage you. Not quite a handjob, just her feeling up her prize. Despite your best efforts to remain flaccid, the orgy of drunken revelers and Nauraea’s hands coaxed the blood into your dick.

“Soon, Anon. Soon…” giggled Nauraea. She wiped a drop of pre from your glans and sensually lapped it off her finger with a flick of her forked tongue.

The harpies began to sing a prurient, lilting song of hedonism and desire. Your head rattled with the enchanted notes of the sirens and the hypnotic sound of the gandharva’s guitars. The mana accumulating in the air was making you dizzy. Sinking deeper into the crevice of Nauraea’s tits, you shut your eyes and prayed for the ordeal to end quickly as she continued to molest you.

~~~~~~~

“Ahh~ That was a good court session.” Sighed Nauraea.

You grunted. Your stomach was still queasy. Nauraea had mercifully allowed you to be excused after she saw how pale your face had become. Now, after dinner, she had hinted that she had some important task for you.

“Anon, how good are you with your hands?” asked Nauraea.

“If you think I’m sticking ANYTHING near your cunt, you’ve got another thing coming.” You said.

Nauraea giggled. “I like where your head is at, but I have something else in mind.”

A string of attendants joined you, carrying toiletries and towels. One of them opened the door for Nauraea, who entered into a spacious bathhouse. Steam rolled off the expanisve pool out into the cool night air. The first stars were making themselves visible through the window at the edge of the bath.

Nauraea shed what little clothing she wore and slipped into the bath. The servants placed the jars and bars of soap and shampoo around the edge of the pool. Nauraea selected one of the jars and poured it in. The smell of flowers and spice filled the air. One of the servants handed you some sort of brush. It looked like a comically large toothbrush, but with more bristles running down the handle than a regular dental implement.

“What the hell is this thing?” you asked, running a finger over the stiff bristles.

“That’s your tool for the night~” said Nauraea.

“Huh?”

“You’re going to help me clean my scales.”

“…Eww.”

“It’s not ‘eww’! I have legions of mamono who BEG me to let them clean my tail!” said Nauraea, slapping the surface of the water with her tail.

“I’m a king. I don’t clean people.” You mocked.

“If you don’t start scrubbing, I’ll start dunking you.” Said Nauraea.

You rolled your eyes and slipped out of what little clothes you had. The servants collected your things and excused themselves, leaving you alone with your captor.

“Get in Anon, it’s not going to scrub itself.” She said, prodding your chest with her tail.

Slipping into the bath, brush in hand, you nearly went under as you stepped down into the ostensibly shallow water.

“Careful.” Chided Nauraea. “It’s shallower over here. Grab that soap and start at the tip~”

She flopped her tail up onto a shelf, and looked at you expectantly. You sat down on the shelf and dragged the tip of her tail into your lap. Nauraea looked at you with a contented smile as you lathered the first foot of tail with soap. Taking the brush, you began to scrub the scales.

“Ah! That’s not what that brush is for. That’s an edging brush; you use that to scrub the sides. Just trace around each side.” Said Nauraea.

You sighed and resumed scrubbing. Carefully, you swiped down the side of each scale, towards the point. The fine scales at the tip of her tail were ignored, and it seemed Nauraea was willing to let that slide. You would both be here all night if you did the little ones. Not that she would mind.

Once you finished one section, Nauraea rolled over to give you access to the top of her tail.

“Ahh… I can’t tell you how much better it feels to have you doing this~” said Nauraea, resting her torso on the edge of the bath.  
“Mmhmm.”

“How’s the water? It isn’t too hot, is it? I know you come from a rather frigid land…”

“It wasn’t that cold.”

“…Do you miss it?”

“Not really. Admaz was seasonal enough to have a winter.”

“No, not the cold. Your homeland.”

You paused your scrubbing and looked out the window at the strange constellations appearing in the sky. “Sure I miss it. Anyone would. But it’s been a long time. I’ve come to terms with my fate; all I can do is carve out my own place in this world.”

“That’s an awfully romantic sentiment.”

The bristles hissed over her scales.

“…I’m glad you didn’t break. That you were strong enough to adapt, even when others may have gone mad.”

You cleaned the bristles in the water. “Uh huh.”

“… I know you think me cruel for trapping you here.”

“Somewhat.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I know that it’s in your nature. Monsters seek men. I’m not so arrogant as to think myself beyond the natural order of the world.”  
“Hmm…”

You had cleaned enough of Nauraea’s tail to warrant her repositioning. She scooted her body closer to you, looking out the window over the lamps and lanterns below.

“Anon?”

“Yes?”

“When all this is over… When Nefkara is defeated, I mean… Do you want to go back to your world?”

You looked up from your work. “Go back?”

“Once I take the Capsalisma, I’ll have more than enough money and influence to hire the best mages in the world. Surely if Lussazan could bring you here, she could find a way to send you back as well.”

“I don’t know…”

Nauraea frowned. “I thought you would want to return in a heartbeat! Of course, any trip we make to your world would be temporary; I can’t just abandon my subjects.”

“Like I said, I’ve made my peace living here. And someday, I’ll have a wife and child to keep me here.”

You were also deathly afraid of what you might find if you went back. Who knows how time flowed here compared to Earth? You might pop back in time to see a tow truck arrive for your car, or you might wind up so far into the future that everyone you ever knew had died. Who knows if it was even possible to return to YOUR world? What if you wound up in a world with another Anon?  
“So you want kids?! How many?” asked Nauraea excitedly. Her tail wiggled in your lap.

You felt your face redden. “I don’t know. Shut up and roll.”

“I can give you many heiresses. I’m quite confident of my fertility.” Puffed Nauraea.

“I said roll!” you desperately tried to move her, but she was too slippery.

“Aww, there there, love. How about we switch roles?”

Nauraea began slathering herself with soap.

“I can wash myself, thank you very much.” You said.

“I know. But I can wash you better~”

She pounced on you, ensnaring you in her violet scales. You gasped and sputtered as she dragged you through the water until you were within reach of her hands. Once you were in position, she began to squeeze you back and forth through her coils by applying pressure on your legs or shoulders.

“See? No other species can clean like lamia.” Boasted Nauraea.

“Cancers.”

“Hey! That’s not fair! What they do is more… ‘cleansing’.”

“What the hell is the difference?”

“The difference is that they can’t do this!” snapped Nauraea. She increased the pressure with her tail. With enough force, her scales took on a slightly abrasive quality, gently exfoliating your torso.

“Ow! Easy!” you said.

“Going to squirm? I’d appreciate it if you did~” said Nauraea.

Damn her. You adjusted yourself as she massaged you, but relented to her ministrations. She hummed to herself as she poured some shampoo onto your head and began cleaning your hair.

“I just had this imported from the north. It’s scented with pine. I love the scent, it’s a shame that we can’t grow any here.”

Taking care to keep the soap out of your eyes, she eased you back until your head was partially submerged. You shut your eyes to keep them clean as the water lapped at your ears. Nauraea released you from her tail and allowed you to stand on your own.

“There we are, now you’re looking princely!” said Nauraea.

You stepped out of the bath and grabbed a towel. Nauraea slithered out of the bath onto some sort of rug/towel and began shaking back and forth to dry her tail.

“Mmm~ That was nice. Nothing like a good bath to rejuvenate the soul.” She said.

“Do I get pants tonight?” you asked.

“No. If your in the bed, there’s no point to you wearing anything. Now, go warm the sheets for me. I have something to attend to, I’ll be there in an hour.” Said Nauraea. She slapped your ass with her tail and slithered out of the bathroom.

You swore under your breath and followed the guards to Nauraea’s bedroom. Flopping down onto the bed, you closed your eyes and tried to fall asleep before your fiancé returned.

Only a few moments later, you heard a soft scraping from the balcony. You opened your eyes. The curtains swayed in the breeze, but there was nothing there. Meh. The guards would have seen any prurient prowler here to plunder your purity. You shut your eyes again.  
A hand clamped over your mouth. You yelped into the palm in shock as you tried to sit up. The assailant pressed you back into the mattress and shushed you. A girtablilu glared down at you from behind a black veil.

“Silence! I serve the Pharaoh Nefkara!” she hissed.

Your eyes widened.

“If I remove my hand, will you cooperate?” she asked.

You nodded. The assassin slowly retracted her hand and sheathed her dagger. Reaching into her robe, she pulled out a small metal plate embossed with the same symbol that had adorned the carriage Tsakali had used to transport you here.

“My badge of office. I am Lierus, Master of Secrets to Goddess Nefkara. She has sent me to verify the rumors of the Usurper claiming a husband.” Whispered the scorpion.

“Well, she did.” You said, gesturing to yourself.

“So I see…” said Lierus, glancing at your exposed hips. “But you have not been claimed, why?”

You gave Lierus a quick explanation of the situation at hand. Your arrival, your history, your brush with death, and Nauraea’s plans for you.

“I see… It’s worse than we feared…” said Lierus.

“Is there anything you can do?” you asked. Surely the Pharaoh could do SOMETHING. After all, if Nauraea was stronger than her, she would have already conquered Kyriavalissa.

“That remains to be seen. There are too many uncertainties to act now. I shall report this development to Nefkara; she will determine your fate.”

“Oh…”

Lierus scuttled out onto the balcony. “Know this, Anon. It is in our best interest to save you. We will do all we can. Until then, stall your mistress if you can. Speak of this to no one, the agents of the Pharaoh will all carry a badge. Stay safe, and sun preserve you.”

Lierus cast a spell and vanished. You pulled the covers around you and tried to calm yourself. There was still hope!  
Nauraea burst into the room. You jumped.

“Ahh! Apologies, husband. I didn’t intend to startle you. I hope you weren’t TOO comfortable without me~”

She wrapped you in her tail and hugged you from behind with her human torso.

“Your heart is racing! Did I really scare you that bad?~” asked Nauraea.

“No.”

“Then you must have been thinking of me~”

You tried to pull your arms out of the coil, but Nauraea just giggled and squeezed harder.

“No need to be shy~” She kissed the back of your head and reclined onto a pillow.

Nauraea quickly fell asleep with you still wrapped in her arms. You were drowsy, but the idea that you might be able to leave this accursed city was enough to keep you awake for a bit longer. Whatever Nefkara was going to do, she had better do it fast.   
You nestled into Nauraea’s breasts, and let yourself be lulled to sleep by the rise and fall of her chest.


	42. Chapter 42

“Tsakali, do you have my schedule for the day?” you asked.

“Right here, Your Majesty.” Said Tsakali.

You unraveled the scroll and took a look at the daily agenda.

“Public meet and greet and tour of the city… What does that entail?” you asked.

“You’ll be travelling through the city with Her Highness, introducing yourself to the commoners. All you need to do is smile and thank them for any gifts they give you.” Said Tsakali.

“Hmm…”

You took a sip of tea. Delicious. Petropa had never allowed you to make any suggestions while you were trapped in her castle, but the cooks here took every proposal you made in stride. Now, the meals were a little more balanced, and MUCH more authentic. Their first fumbling attempts at a casserole had been nightmarish.

“What’s this here? ‘Reading with Her Highness’?” you said.

“Lady Nauraea has asked me to scour your journal with her as an audience. Again… My humblest apologies, Majesty, but she is the only creature in the queendom that outranks you.” Said Tsakali sheepishly.

“Why do I need to be there?” you scowled.

“Because she demanded it.”

Of course she did.

“Tsakali, can you be honest with me? Is this going to end up like last time?”

Tsakali shook her head. “Certainly not! I really shouldn’t say this, but Lady Nauraea was quite embarrassed by her outburst the other day. Normally she is much more imperturbable. Though, she was more than a little surprised to learn that she did not fit your tastes as well as she hoped…”

“How the hell would she know what my tastes in women are? Oroba made certain that there was NOTHING in the information she distributed that would give mamono any hints.”

“I can’t account for Her Majesty’s eccentricities. Perhaps you can ask her why she chose you.”

“Perhaps I shall.” You set down your empty cup. “How long until we greet the masses?”

“As soon as you get dressed. The tailors have repaired your ceremonial robes, they’ll be delivered to your room.”

“Ceremonial robes? Do you mean the ones that I was wearing when I… uh…”

Tsakali pursed her lips. “Yes.”

“I see…”

“Do try to control yourself this time. You’ve already embarrassed yourself once in front of your people.”

“They aren’t MY people; they’re yours.” You replied curtly.

“As you say, Anon.” said Tsakali with a grin.

~~~~~~~~

“I must say, you look much better in that outfit when you’re not being dragged by Tsakali.” Said Nauraea.

“And that armor you’re wearing hides your fat, snake ass.” You said.

Nauraea stabbed your gut with her tail. “Call me fat again and I’ll crush you.”

“By coiling me, or sitting on me?”

She stabbed you again, and slapped the underside of your chin as you doubled over.

“Watch yourself. You’re on thin ice today. You’ve already embarrassed me twice in front of my subjects. It shan’t happen again. Is that clear?” she loomed over you.

“I’m just going to smile and wave. Don’t expect any impassioned speeches about how much I love you.”

One of the servants cinched the last strap of Nauraea’s armor taught. The lamia exhaled and admired herself in the mirror. A full suit of midnight blue armor engraved with pale, luminous runes. A full suit in a monster sense; she was showing almost as much skin as normal. The armor allowed most of her chest and some of her stomach to be exposed, but with how much magic was radiating off the stuff, you doubted that it mattered. Her helmet was adorned with a large chunk of moonstone in the center. Sweeping down, the helmet covered her cheeks with two stylized pieces that were embossed to look like a mouth bearing serpentine fangs. You hated to admit it, but it was actually pretty hot. 

“Ahh~ Feels so good to wear it again!” said Nauraea, clenching her gauntleted fist. The symbols on her knuckles glowed.

“That looks… dangerous.” You mused, watching as the runes pulsed.

Nauraea beamed. “THIS is ancient apophis armor passed down by my mother. It was forged by my grandmother’s most loyal smith, and imbued with her magics just a few years after The Demon Lord remade her. She still had a little of her old power left over, so she dumped it all into this armor before the mamono mana replaced it.”

“That’s not going to make me sick, is it?” you asked.

“No, this is primordial mana. It’s not dangerous to you. In a health sense. If it breaks, it will unleash a shockwave that could flatten Apliseline and everything around it.”

Great, a wearable warhead. All the rage amongst tyrants these days.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable in something a little more… I don’t know, delicate?” you asked.

“I’m an empress, dear. I can’t afford to look weak in front of my subjects. I’ll be the one to lead them to war against Nefkara. They have to believe that I have the strength to ensure we are triumphant.”

“If I do marry you, the first thing I’m doing is reforming the foreign relations policies.” You said.

“If you so much as send that harlot a letter asking how her day went, I’ll inject you with enough venom to turn you into a vegetable. Now come, we ride!”

Nauraea quickly slithered away, forcing you to hurry after her as she headed for the royal chariot.

~~~~~~~

Just smile and wave, smile and wave.

The crowds of Apliseline were certainly excited to see you now that you weren’t being dragged around by the arms. Throngs of monsters and men alike crowded the streets as you passed, cheering for you and trying to catch your attention. A few girls flashed you, but the guards escorting you quickly apprehended them and helped them to regain their modesty. Nauraea’s tail crushing your ankle informed you that staring too long at any of the women in the crowd would earn you another harsh lesson tonight.

“Hi! Hello! Thank you! I don’t plan on staying here, but you all seem nice!” you shouted. You reached over the edge of the chariot to slap some of the citizen’s hands, but Nauraea pulled you back in.

“Imbecilic! What the hell are you doing?!” she hissed.

“You’re the one who told me to ingratiate myself with the locals. This was the best way to do it back on {Earth}.”

“How the hell did people on your world survive…”

A young succubus girl carrying a steaming loaf of bread parted the crowd and ran along side the chariot, offering it to you.

“Can we take food?” you asked quickly. It smelled delicious.

“Are you a dog?! I suppose you are something of a pet to me…”

You quickly took the bread, thanking the little succ. She beamed at you and waved as you trundled onwards.

“Put that down this instant.” Demanded Nauraea.

You glanced between her, the bread, and her tail snaking up your thigh. Ripping off a chunk, you quickly devoured the morsel before tossing the rest of the loaf to a family who looked to be on the more impoverished side of life.

“No more gifts unless I tell you you can accept them, understand? Do NOT disobey me again.”

You grunted an affirmation. Why the hell couldn’t you ham it up a little with the rabble? Nauraea took your hand and sighed.  
“There will be a time and a place, dear. Once we reach the Grand Plaza you can take some offerings. Within reason. Some of these ‘gifts’ are only ostensibly charitable.”

Ahh. Even here monsters were still vying for favors with the queen. And since you were now second in command… Guess you had better start learning the arts of statesmanship after all.

The chariot wheeled into a sprawling plaza, swarming with monsters. Harpies lazily circled above the roiling crowd. Scales, tails, and claws scurried out of the way as your vehicle parked in front of a massive cathedral dedicated to Eros. Without missing a beat, Nauraea began to address the crowd.

“Citizens of Apliseline, today marks a momentous occasion for us, and our way of life! I give you your new king: the man who’s power I shall use to snuff out the sun for all eternity!”

The monsters cheered. You stood next to Nauraea, waiting patiently for the monologuing to end. Some of the rabble threw some flowers your way.

“Prepare yourselves! Even now, the false goddess’ army readies itself for war. They are mighty, yes, but we are indominable! Our will shall be made manifest by the strength of our sword arms! With I as your queen, victory is inevitable! Witness the power I command!”  
Nauraea held her hands up to the sun. At first, you thought something had went wrong; nothing seemed to be happening. Then, you noticed a thin trickle of what looked like smoke wafting out of her hands towards the sky. Nauraea’s face contorted with effort, and the runes on her armor began to shimmer.

The plume of smoke grew thicker. It was a subtle change at first. You noticed the shadows of the citizens becoming less and less defined. Slowly, the light of the sun became more and more muted. Apliseline was bathed in a flat muted light, a soft shade that encompassed everything around you. A chill ran down your spine. Once again, you were left awestruck by the absolute power that Nauraea possessed; she was NOT to be underestimated. The only reason you were even allowed to step outside was because she allowed you too.  
Flat light gave way to shade as Nauraea continued to block out the sun. At last, she lowered her hands with a loud exhale and panted, looking up to the dim sky. Monsters looked in wonder at the midday shade shrouding the city. Children giggled and ran about, enthused by the miraculous change.

“We stand at the precipice of greatness… With Anon’s power, we shall take our rightful place as conquerors of the Capsalisma!” roared Nauraea, swaying a bit from the exertion.

You clapped along with the crowd before you caught yourself and tucked your hands behind your back. Too used to applauding speakers.  
Monsters began talking amongst themselves excitedly as Nauraea turned her attention back to you.

“Your turn. Say something too them.” She whispered.

“What?! What am I supposed to tell them?!” you hissed.

“Anything! Words of encouragement, a rousing, jingoist statement, I don’t care. Just don’t make a fool of yourself.”

She nudged you forward towards the crowd. You gulped. Following an artificial eclipse was a tough act to follow. Most of the monsters were too busy reveling in the gift from their deity to even notice you.

“Uhh… Hello, subjects. I’m not very experienced with ruling an empire, but I’ll do my best to improve everyone’s lives.”

The monsters stared at you as they waited for you to continue. You could feel your face getting red.

“Is that it?” muttered Nauraea.

“I plan on reforming the education system to increase social mobility, and undertaking several public infrastructure projects to make the city more livable.” You continued. Oh fuck, you had no idea what to say. God help you if they actually held you to these promises. You prayed that Tsakali was writing down all these campaign promises.

Despite your insincerity, the crowd seemed pleased with what they heard. Some of the poorer children excitedly began talking to their parents, who were softly clapping.

“Right, let’s wrap things up before you have a chance to fuck everything up.” Said Nauraea. She moved you back with her tail, once again taking the front of the chariot.

“Fitting, is it not? That I should find such a benevolent and magnanimous husband. Strength of will, and strength of heart working in tandem to create the most prosperous empire in the world!” said Nauraea.

The more reserved monsters politely applauded their queen. But the situation was rapidly deteriorating into chaos as an orgy had broken out in the back of the crowd as they reveled in the darkness, and the rest of the onlookers were quickly succumbing to their own lust too. Nauraea gave a wave and sighed.

“I would never ask that they repress their love for each other, but sometimes I wish they would have a little more decorum.” She said, surveying the prurient carnage below her.

You nodded in agreement, watching a harpy carry her husband off to the roof of a nearby building for a quick tryst.

“Anyways, now is as good a time as any to tour the city. Shall we?” asked Nauraea. Without waiting for an answer, she drove the chariot onwards.

~~~~~~~

You said that you would repair and upkeep the public infrastructure of Apliseline, but it looked like your work was cut out for you. Come to think of it, it made perfect sense that a city run in part by Tsakali would be immaculate and efficient. Smooth roads, buildings in perfect condition, a fully functional sewer, spectacular fountains and inspiring statues… Apliseline was a cosmopolitan paradise.

“I know you said something about a school, but we already have an education system. I suppose you could always try to expand the university, but that’s a costly task in both gold and time. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to attract scholars. ‘It’s too far away!’ ‘Aren’t you that psychopath who wants to destroy the sun?’ ‘Sorry, I’ve already accepted a position in Kyriavalissa.’ Ooohhh… I swear that damn Pharaoh was poaching my candidates out from under my nose!” said Nauraea.

“I must say, the city seems more… composed than I expected.” You said.

Nauraea squeezed your waist with her tail. “Naturally! Did you think a ruler as resplendent as I would allow my people to live in squalor?”

“I thought that they wouldn’t mind living in squalor as long as they kept fucking.”

“Love is the most important thing in life, but that doesn’t mean we neglect ourselves or our spouses. I could hardly call myself a good wife if I allowed you to sleep out in the cold every night.”

Nauraea continued to explain the various sights and attractions of Aplesline as you went. A labyrinth of shops, homes, plazas, clubs, and bars straight out of Arabian Nights. With a more licentious spin, but enchanting nonetheless. Most of the streets were abandoned or near empty, with most of the populace occupied with their significant other, but you could only imagine how packed they must be on a normal day. 

You rubbed your shoulder. The sunlight was slowly returning as Nauraea’s spell waned, and you could already feel a sunburn coming on.

“Nauraea, ho-“

“Ahem.”

“…Dear. How much longer is this tour going to take?”

“An hour, I should think. Why?”

“Can we cut it short? I think my skin is starting to burn…”

Nauraea frowned. “Burn?”

“Yeah, you know, a sunburn.”

She snorted. “Oh! That? You’ll be fine. That hardly ever happens to foreigners. You would have to be out in the sun all day.”

“But-“

“Relax, husband. My magic shields Aplesiline from the infernal sun at all times. Your skin is quite safe while we are within the confines of the city. Speaking of which…”

Nauraea directed the chariot towards the great wall surrounding the city. The shadow it cast spanned several blocks. You caught glimpses of cave-dwelling and nocturnal monsters in the alleys lining the roads as you passed. Did they even realize that Nauraea had darkened the sun in this perpetual shade? The chariot stopped near a small gate leading out of the city. Nauraea dismounted and bade you to follow.

“I understand that you are still harboring ideas about leaving me.” She said coldly.

You suppressed a shiver. Did she find out about Lierus?

“No need to deny it, I am well aware of what kind of man you are. Always moving on to the next thing, be that a place or person…” said Nauraea wistfully.

She motioned for the guards to open the gate. The portcullis slid up. Dust wafted in.

“Anon, do you know why escape from Aplesiline is impossible?” she asked.

“Spare me the sphinx routine.” You said.

“Humor me.”

“I don’t know, constant vigilance by the finest soldiers in the Capsalisma?” you guessed.

“They certainly are. But that’s not the only reason you are trapped here. Try to walk out the gate.”

You looked at the open gate. The guards stood stoically next to the entrance, awaiting any command from their queen.

“…Is this a trick?” you asked.

“Walk through and find out.”

Sunlight shone through the gate into the city, faintly illuminating the oppressive shade cast by the wall. Judging by the way Nauraea’s tail was flicking, she wasn’t going to ‘suggest’ you obey her again. Tentatively, you took a few steps towards the gate. When nothing happened, you picked up the pace to a slow shuffle and continued your advance.

As you neared the center of the gate, the hairs on your arm began to stand. You felt a strange sensation, like being close to a massive source of static electricity. You faltered and stopped.

“Keep going.” Said Nauraea.

“What is this?” you asked.

“I said keep moving.” She snarled.

Gritting your teeth, you extended your arms and pressed onwards. After a few more steps, the tingling in your arms had amplified into an uncomfortable sensation of pins and needles. The dull, roiling pain spread through your body as you got closer to the world outside. But your headway was hindered by a NEW obstacle: the air itself. Somehow the atmosphere was taking on a thick, soupy texture. You could feel it growing denser as you walked, slowing you to an agonizing pace. Each step was more strenuous than the last.

“Stop. That’s enough. Return to me.” Commanded Nauraea.

You turned around and hurried back to her, gasping and rubbing your numbed arms.

“THAT, is why you will NEVER leave without my permission.” Sneered Nauraea.

“What is that?” you panted.

“A simple feat, really. The wall of Aplesiline is a massive teletomantic catalyst; it protects the city from the sun and invaders. All I had to do was create a few more runes attuned to your spirit energy. The wall keeps that whore Nefkara out, and you in.”

She slithered over to you and gently put her arms around you. “No matter how crafty you are, no matter how many times you try to escape, no matter what kind of task force Nefkara sends… you are MINE.” She hissed, flicking her tongue at you.

You grimaced. That certainly complicated things. Looks like Lierus would have to come up with something a bit more robust than carrying you out in the dead of night. If Nauraea had just created some runes to seal you in, then the barrier should drop if they were destroyed. You looked around. No, that just wasn’t viable. Any runes were no doubt closely guarded and inspected to prevent subterfuge by Nefkara’s forces. By the time anyone destroyed enough runes to free you, the damage would surely be noticed.

“Mmm~ You know I love when you squirm.” Cooed Nauraea. “Now that that silliness is behind us, we should see the port! I’ll even let you pick a fish for dinner, if you’d like.”

~~~~~~~

“Anon?”

You stared straight ahead, through Nauraea.

“Anon, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think it would be this bad…”

Her apology meant nothing to you.

“Are you mad?”

She gently caressed your arm. You winced as she touched your sunburnt skin. So much for her ‘protection’…

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” pouted Nauraea.

“YES I’M FUCKING MAD!” you shouted.

“Calm down, you baby. You’ll be fine. I’m almost done.” Said Sauritus. She added a few more leaves to the goo she was stirring and crushed them in with a pestle.

“Are you sure that will work?” asked Nauraea, eyeing the concoction.

“It should. A dragon with an albino husband swears it works, but this recipe is hundreds of years old…” said Sauritus.

“Even if it doesn’t he’ll live, right?” fretted Nauraea.

“Your Highness, it’s a sunburn. He’ll be fine. Keep him hydrated and don’t touch him until his skin returns to normal.” Sauritus wiped the pestle on the side of the bowl. Dipping her fingers in the dull, lavender paste, she rubbed it between her forefinger and thumb to examine the consistency.

“It’s ready. Turn around, I’ll start with your back.” Said Sauritus.

“Wait! I want to do it!” said Nauraea.

“Let her do it.” You said.

“Silence, both of you. YOU are MY physician.” She said, pointing to Sauritus. “…And YOU are MY husband. That means I OWN both of you.”  
“Anon, does it really matter if she applies it?” asked Sauritus.

You grit your teeth. “Just watch the nails…”

Nauraea’s face lit up. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

Slathering her palms in the ointment, she began liberally applying it across your back. You tried to hide your satisfaction, but an inadvertent groan of pleasure rumbled out of your throat as the cooling sensation of the lotion permeated your singed skin.

“Does that feel good?~” purred Nauraea, running her hands down your sides. 

You said nothing, and raised your arms to give her better access to your flanks.

“There… see how nice everything is when you do as your told?” Crooned Nauraea. Her fingers lingered around your neck as she covered your nape. Embracing you from behind, she reapplied more lotion to your chest, tracing around the muscles you had worked so hard for in Valisias. You flinched whenever she tickled you or she nicked your skin with her nails. More than anything, you hated how much she enjoyed this. Every time you squirmed, she giggled. Occasionally she would purposely tickle or prod you when you had gone too long without an amusing reaction to her ministrations.

“Almost done. Turn around.” Ordered Nauraea.

You about faced. Nauraea’s saffron eyes mockingly stared into yours as she wiped her palms on your cheeks. Her thumbs traced the bridge of your nose down to the corners of your mouth.

“Feeling better?” she asked, happily waggling the tip of her tail.

“I am, thank you Sauritus.” You said.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Said Sauritus with a smile and a bow.

“I think that was just as pleasurable for me as it was for you. Perhaps I should leave you in the sun as punishment.” Mused Nauraea.  
“I’ll tan, you know.” You said.

Nauraea scowled. “I won’t let you.”

“Anon, if you’re satisfied, I’d like to get back to work.” Said Sauritus.

“Of course. Come along, ‘dear’.” You said.

“You’re awfully mouthy for someone with such sensitive skin.” Said Nauraea, flicking you with one of her nails.

You cursed and hurried out of Sauritus’ office, apophis in tow.

~~~~~~~~

“Your Tea, My Lady.” Said Tsakali setting a tray down.

“Thank you, Vizier.” Said Nauraea. She handed you a cup.

You slumped back into the pillow pile you were resting in and took a small sip. Tsakali opened your journal, now heavily annotated with small pieces of parchment she had used to mark certain things, and took a seat next across from you and your soon to be snake-rapist.  
“Is there anything you’d like me to start with, Your Highness?” asked Tsakali.

“Yes, I’d like to know more about his proclivities with monsters. Not the species, but what ABOUT the species he finds attractive.” Said Nauraea.

Tsakali flipped through the journal with worrying speed. How much time had she spent reading that?

“Yes, he made quite a few notes about the subject. Especially in Valisias…” said Tsakali.

Oh God no…

“Tsakali, I command you to cease your translation of that book at once and go fuck your husband.” You ordered.

Tsakali paused and looked at you quizzically. She glanced at Nauraea with mild expectation.

“Don’t listen to him! Start reading.” Said Nauraea.

“This entry doesn’t give reference to any particular species, but the sentiment is clear nonetheless:

Holy shit, keeping my chastity safe in this city might be harder than I anticipated. So many girls with god-bods. I have to constantly resist the urge to… suck the sweat out of those cum gutters…”

Tsakali and Nauraea looked at you with mild contempt.

“’Cum gutters’?” asked Nauraea.

“I believe this must be some sort of mistranslation. Anon, could you please explain what this means?” asked Tsakali.

You nervously took a sip of tea. “Who knows? Sounds like I was tired when I wrote that. Probably just a typo.” You winked at Tsakali a few times to drive your point across.

She frowned and flipped through your journal. “Are you sure? Because those same words are written in here numerous times…”

You dared not look at Nauraea.

“I understand what {cum} is, but why is it being used in conjunction with {gutters}? That word had no anatomical bearing… does it?” asked Tsakali.

“Anon. Explain. Or I’ll start slapping your back.” Threatened Nauraea. She hovered her tail over your pink back, threatening to strike. You knew she would follow through with it too.

“Uhh… You know when a woman has a REALLY nice set of abs? And when she lays down, you can still see a bit of a cleft between the muscles? T-that’s what it means.” You said quietly.

“…{Cum gutters} means abdominal muscles?” asked Tsakali.

“No! It’s more than just abs! It’s abs so defined that they have the crease!” you said.

“And the abs are gutters for semen once you ejaculate on her stomach.” Nauraea deduced.

“Exactly.” You said.

“Fascinating…” said Tsakali, scribbling a note.

“So you like abs, hmm?” said Nauraea. She smirked and ran her hands over her navel. “Fortunately for you, I have a magnificent set right here.”

You eyed her gut. Lamia tended to get a rather firm set of abs by virtue of the way they slithered everywhere, but only if they didn’t gorge themselves at every meal.

“Uh huh…” you nodded, waiting for Tsakali to continue.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” scowled Nauraea.

“Nothing. Tsakali, move on to the next thing, would you?” you implored the dog-girl.

“Not yet, Vizier. I think my DARLING husband has something he would like to say to me.” Said Nauraea, voice oozing with venom.  
“Fine, you want the truth? You’re TUBBY.” You said.

Nauraea recoiled. Clenching her teeth, she slithered over to you and shoved herself in your face.

“Care to say that again?”

“Tubby. I’ll say it all day, fatty. Look at yourself!” you said, prodding a finger into her pudge.

Nauraea balked as your digit sunk into her gut. “I may be a bit out of shape, but I am NOT fat.”

“He seems to put emphasis on well-defined musculature, Your Highness. There are dozens of other instances of his admiration for other various other muscle groups. Second to abs would be thighs, it would seem.” Said Tsakali.

“Thighs?! Why the hell do you want a ryu wife if you like thighs?” demanded Nauraea.

“Because I like ryu’s more than thighs! Besides, I can always buy a potion or something to give her a nice pair of legs if I feel like it.” You said.

“Hmph… I suppose I could use a bit of physical conditioning. I’ll need it anyways when I usurp that damnable whore. Tsakali, tell the archivist to pull what she can on temporary transformations, both potions and spells. I want to watch him writhe between my legs.”  
“Very good, Empress.” Said Tsakali.

“What else is in there? There has to be SOMETHING I have over those horned-harlots.” Said Nauraea.

“There are, Empress!” Tsakali wagged her tail and flipped to a new page. “He seems to have a preference for black sclera:

I find it hard to look Voso in the eye. Seeing those twinkling amethysts gazing back at me from those pitch-black pools is almost too much to bear. But I must persist; I refuse to settle for anyone but my wife; whoever she may be…”

“Ah HA!” Shouted Nauraea triumphantly. “I KNEW IT.”

Nauraea sensually positioned her face in front of yours and clutched your head by your cheeks. You closed your eyes, but she used some sort of magic to pry your eyelids open.

“Is this to your liking I wonder?~” she asked. Her eyes were hypnotic. You wordlessly stared back into her yellow eyes as she held you. Even after her grip relaxed, you were powerless to resist her stare. It reminded you of the first time you met her; that same piercing, predatory gaze that promised all manner of torment and pleasure. One of her hands sunk down to your throat, thumb running over your artery.

“Mmm~… Feeling a little nervous, are we? I can FEEL your heart quicken~” said Nauraea, still staring into your eyes. She laughed and reclined, dragging you onto her coiled tail. Gently, but with enough force that it irritated your reddened skin. 

“What else, Tsakali?” said Nauraea, looking quite satisfied with herself.

“Sharp teeth, fangs, and a long tongue are also things he mentions.” Said Tsakali, watching your discomfort in mild amusement.  
Nauraea licked her lips. “Oh?~”

Lolling her tongue out of her mouth, she let the dark-purple organ hang out, dangling past her chin. Her fangs glinted as she flicked it up over them. Constricting your entire body with hers, she giggled as you winced and squirmed as she brought your face level to hers.

“Sauritus may have forbid me from biting you, but…” she pressed her forehead against yours. Like lightning, she lashed out and nipped your lip, making sure not to impale you with her fangs. “I make the rules around here.”

“She said… No bodily fluids…” you groaned.

“You survived a dose of my venom, albeit a fraction of a real bite. A little saliva won’t kill you…”

Diving into your mouth, Nauraea set about tasting her conquest. Her tongue seemed to have the same monstrous strength as she did. No sooner had it slipped past your lips than it had pinned your own tongue to the floor of your mouth. Her teeth gnashed your lips, savaging the tender flesh as she kissed you. Your eyes fluttered and your body went limp as the flood of mamono mana began to reach your head.

“Milady, I think he’s had enough…” Tsakali fidgeted.

Nauraea slurped her tongue back in and licked her lips. You moaned softly as vertigo made the world spin.

“I think he’s had just enough. I think I prefer him like this than that usual irreverent attitude he touts.” Scoffed Nauraea.

“Guards? Could one of you fetch the Head Physician?” called Tsakali.

You slumped over onto Nauraea’s tail, unable to support yourself.

“Ooh~ Look Tsakali, isn’t he cute when he’s like this?” said Nauraea.

“Yes, very cute.” Said Tsakali nervously.

“He’s perfectly healthy. Watch, Sauritus will enter, castigate me, and then be forced to cede that Anon’s body is indeed more robust than she claims, and that I can begin raping him in earnest. Stars above, you should have felt the way he wriggled when I started nibbling him…”

“Well, he does fantasize about being bitten occasionally.” Said Tsakali.

You gurgled as a trickle of black mana dribbled out of your mouth. Nauraea rubbed your back, compounding your pain by agitating your burn. 

“Tell me Vizier, does he ever give a reason why he prizes ryus so highly? His tastes seem eclectic at best.” Said Nauraea.

“From what I can glean from his writings, he seems to prize their personality above all else. He writes that they’re “the kind of monster I could see myself starting a family with” and other such platitudes.” Said Tsakali.

Sauritus burst into the room, panting. Slithering over to you, she pulled you out of Nauraea’s coils and splayed you out on the ground. Cursing, she began administering medicine as you coughed and sputtered.

“I’m defecting to Nefkara’s side if you don’t behave!” shouted Sauritus.

“You’d never last.” Shrugged Nauraea.

“I’m still tempted to with you ruling…” grumbled the doctor.

You sighed in relief as the concoction began to take effect. It felt like you were sinking into the rug as the pain abated, replaced with a tantalizing numbness.

“He needs rest.” Said Sauritus.

“Take him to my room. I think I’ll pay a visit to the gymnasium while the night is still young.” Said Nauraea.

“Can you stand, Your Majesty?” asked Sauritus.

“Don’t… Call me that…” you slurred.

“See? He’s fine. I wouldn’t choose a weak man as my mate.” Said Nauraea.

“Come along, Anon. I’ll see you to your room.” Said Sauritus, helping you to your feet.

~~~~~~~

“You mustn’t let her treat you like that, Anon.” said Sauritus, depositing you onto the bed.

“Right. I’ll just stop her next time.” You said.

Sauritus sighed. “I suppose that is a problem we both share. Let me know if you need anything tonight. If she tries to accost you again, scream. I mean it. Your body isn’t prepared for the full extent of her ‘love’.”

Sauritus bowed and left you in the effervescent afterglow of the drugs.

“Anon.”

Lierus’ address would have startled you if your mind wasn’t so hazy.

“Your back.” You whispered.

“Indeed. I haven’t much time. The Pharaoh Nefkara has decided that your manumission is of utmost priority; we cannot allow Nauraea to wield your strength.”

“There’s a barrier. I’m trapped here. I can’t leave.” You rasped.

“The barrier? She altered it? That complicates things…”

“Nauraea is preparing for war.”

“We know. Has Nauraea mentioned what her plans are?”

“No. I can’t tell if she plans to attack or defend. If she has the barrier, she must be defending.” You said.

“And defend she can. If she takes you, her power will only continue to grow. With enough time, she may be strong enough to overwhelm us. This matter must be settled at once.” Said Lierus.

You looked past her out the window. The stars twinkled over the distant walls of the city, bathed in iridescent nebula.

“Can you get me out?” you asked softly.

Lierus hesitated. “…We will. There is no other alternative. I will return to Nefkara. We will increase our presence in the Apliseline. In the meantime, I need you to glean all you can about Nauraea’s plans. Her resources, how many troops she has rallied, her coffers, anything at all.”

“I will.”

Lierus nodded. “Sun preserve us all, what a nightmare…”

Her pointed ears perked up. Dashing out of the room and over the balcony, she escaped just before Nauraea opened the door.

“Ahh~ That was nice. It’s been too long since I had some proper exercise.” Said Nauraea wiping the sweat from her naked torso. “Husband. Come scrub me. I’ll be in the bath.”

You heard water slosh as Nauraea entered the bath. Slinging your feet off the bed, you slowly plodded after her.

Whatever Nefkara did, she had better do it fast.


	43. Chapter 43

It had been two weeks since Lierus’s visit. In the interim, you had been patiently monitoring the situation in Apliseline, collecting every morsel of information you could about the size, resources, and tactics of Nauraea’s army. Currently the city was abuzz with activity as soldiers from vassal and allied cities and kingdoms poured into the city. Tsakali worked feverishly to billet the massive hordes, as Nauraea marshalled her army. And like vultures drawn to a corpse, craftsmen, traders, and merchants all flocked to the Apliseline in search of profits. Rudimentary shops and forges were erected in plazas and markets as the rhythmic beat of hammers on anvils droned deep into the night.

The logistical nightmare of managing an army and appeasing your underlings without appearing weak had mercifully distracted Nauraea for the majority of the time. Her days were too busy for her to do much more than cuddle you during her court sessions. Though Nauraea’s schedule was dynamic, there were always gaps in which you could relay more information to Lierus. The girtablilu assured you that the Pharaoh was making her move; mustering her own force to bear down on Apliseline.

“Just to spring me?” you had asked.

“You misunderstand. The Serpent imports thousands of slaves every year; this is done without intervention from Her Highness Nefkara. In the Capsalisma, men are a lifeblood. No city can hope to survive without a means to obtain a steady supply of unmarried men. But YOU, alien, YOU could be the catalyst that upsets the tenuous balance that has existed for centuries.” Warned Lierus.

“Wouldn’t ANY husband of Nauraea’s tip the scales?” you asked.

“Perhaps. But that monster cannot afford to be a spinster much longer. She has grown desperate after the birth of Princess Sabekar.”  
“Princess? You mean Nefkara’s heiress?” you asked.

“Indeed. Princess Sabekar is already betrothed to an adopted Prince of a powerful city-state. If Nauraea cannot put forth a child of her own, Nefkara’s expansion across the Capsalisma will go unchallenged.”

“Hence your vested interest in my chastity.”

“Nauraea is as cunning as she is seductive; her hedonistic ways and honeyed words have wooed many nations to her side. You’ve reported just as much. Fortunately for you, The Usurper has not yet garnered the strength necessary to dissuade Nefkara from an attack.” Said Lierus.

“Would that really happen? Blood in the streets, screaming peasants, the walls crumbling…”

“Certainly not. Other principalities and cities have too much riding on peace in the Capsalisma. If things grew too dire, a lilim or the Cult of Eros would likely intervene and reinstate order.” 

“Could the Eros priestesses help me? I know a few gandharvas.” You offered.

“Unlikely. I’m sure that Nauraea would not let you associate with them if she believed they could aid you. She is too shrewd to ignore such an obvious flaw in her plans.” Surmised Lierus.

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask, would it? I don’t think they would sell me out.”

Lierus rolled her head from side to side, mulling the proposition over. “Only if you are in immediate danger. Nauraea has spies everywhere; it will be difficult to ensure that you are not overheard.”

You nodded.

“I must leave. Nauraea is due back any moment. Until we meet again, alien.”

Lierus scuttled away over the balcony. You wonder how she descended the palace without being seen.

Nauraea returned a moment later, using a towel to wipe away the sweat after her workout. She had been lifting in earnest with her ‘war’ on the horizon.

“Ahh~ There’s my little mana well. Did you miss me?~” she mocked.

She was slimming down quickly. Be it magic, her diet, or a VERY intuitive personal trainer, Nauraea’s pudge was melting off her body. Already you could make out the silhouette of her abdominals rising up through her tummy. Not very defined yet, but there nonetheless.  
“I see you’re just as pleased with the results as I am.” She said, flicking your crotch with her tail. You winced and hid your boner. Stupid sexy snake…

“Don’t worry, once this is all over I’ll let you spend alllll day cleaning this gorgeous body with that insolent tongue of yours.”  
“Awfully cocky aren’t you? Strutting around like you’ve won the war when you haven’t even set foot on the battlefield.” You retorted.  
Nauraea’s jovial mood soured in an instant. “I will ANNIHILATE that weakling. And you, you are going to be in for a world of pleasure. When I’m done with you, you’ll be too doped on my venom to even know what year it is.” She said, jabbing a finger into your chest.

“You’re a coward who’s counting on her walls to protect her from a superior fighting force. Nefkara would wipe the floor with you.” You said.

Nauraea’s lip curled up, revealing one of her glistening fangs. “Sometimes I’m tempted to rape you to death just to spare myself the torture of listening to your defiant platitudes.”

“If you could defeat her, you would have already.”

“I’ve tangled with the whore in the past. You shouldn’t speak so much of matters about which you are so ignorant!” shouted Nauraea.  
She threw her towel at you and slithered into the bathroom. You heard the slosh of water as she entered the water and settled in.  
“Anon! Come scrub me.” Demanded Nauraea.

You grumbled and went to go wash her. Last time you had refused to bathe her, she had dragged you in herself. Next time you saw one of the gandharvas, you would ask them for advice. You weren’t sure how much Eros intervened in this world, but it seemed like she had been with you so far. Surely she wouldn’t just leave you high and dry in the middle of the desert with this sociopath, right?

Muttering a quick prayer to the Lady of Love, you marched into the bathroom to clean your captor.

“Start with the tail. Stiff bristle.” Said Nauraea, gesturing to a rack of brushes on the wall.

You grabbed one and started to polish her scales. Nauraea sunk her torso farther into the steaming pool, savoring the heat.  
“Anon, there’s a dispute between a few villagers upriver. I want you to settle it tomorrow.” Said Nauraea.

“Settle it?” you asked.

“Mediate it. Decide what to do.” She said, lifting her tail to give you access to the bottom.

“Why me?” you asked.

“Because I can’t have you lounging around here all day without contributing anything. You’re more than just eye candy, you’re a monarch. It’s time to act like one.”

“I don’t know anything about Apliselinian law…” you said.

“That’s why I’m giving you this case. It’s a simple land dispute; inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. I don’t care which side you take as long as the decision you make is decisive.” Said Nauraea.

“So much for due process…” you mumbled.

Nauraea pulled your ankle out from under you, sending you reeling into the water. You surfaced and sputtered as she used her arms to drag you in.

“That’s another thing. I’ve been lenient so far, but your constant insubordination has worn my patience thin. Either you learn to behave now, or I start biting you until you behave. If you aren’t wholly committed to me by the time I battle Nefkara, I’ll simply take the mana I need from your body.” Said Nauraea. She handed you a bar of soap. “Now, my chest, if you would please.”

Wordlessly, you began lathering her breasts as she reclined on the rim of the basin. The sounds of the Apliselinian nightlife softly rolled in through the window, scarcely heard over the sound of you cleaning Nauraea.

“This really is nice, isn’t it?” mused Nauraea.

“Bathing?” you asked.

“No. Spending time together like this. Taking a moment to enjoy the simple things with someone you can depend on.” Said Nauraea.

“If you’re looking for someone dependable, I’d be happy to have Tsakali take my place.”

“Hush. I know you will be a good king. You have the temperament for it; bullish enough to go your own way, but with a delicate and considerate touch. All you lack is the confidence to pass judgment.” Said Nauraea. 

“I’ve never had the urge to be lord of men. Or monster.”

“So they say. I’ve employed others like you. Monsters who swore up and down that they weren’t in it for the power. But then they get a taste. They learn how intoxicating it is to see people bend to your will. To have everyone ensuring things go your way, for no other reason than you telling them too. It warps them into a more… true version of themselves. One without inhibition. Nefkara insists on tempering her power, passing it to her underlings and administrators. She is a figurehead, an empty shell with no REAL power. THAT is why she is an imposter. So craven she hides even from her true self. When I conquer the Capsalisma, the strong will be free to express themselves properly. To unleash every debauched desire they hold. I will free these people from their inhibitions, Anon. And you will help me.”

You continued to scrub. Her confidence was unsettling. Even though she was going to war with her mortal enemy, she had no apprehension. All you could do now was escape.

“Your turn~” said Nauraea, pouring some shampoo into her palm.

You relented and allowed her to clean your hair as you contemplated your means of egress.

~~~~~~~

“What is this?! I was promised an audience with royalty!” protested the succubus in front of you.

“And you got one.” Said Tsakali sternly. 

“Hadn’t you heard, Oraja, about our Lady’s new husband? And such a handsome one at that~” said the lamia noble. Her husband rolled her eyes. “Pangattus, at your service.” She said with a small bow.

“You can stop with the flattery, I’ll take this case on a factual basis thank you very much.” You said. Not two minutes into this fiasco and you were already sick of it. How did Nauraea do this every day?

“The only ‘fact’ is that SHE is trying to claim MY land.” Said Oraja.

“Your land?! By law that land is MINE.” Said the lamia.

“Alright, both of you calm down and tell me what happened. You start.” You said, pointing to the succ.

“Gladly, Your Majesty. This thieving wretch has sewn crops on MY land in an effort to snatch it from me!” she said.

“I see. What’s your side of the story?” you asked the Pangattus.

“She had arable land that was bare, so I planted crops in it in accordance with the Writ of the Empty Field.” Said the lamia.

“Of course. Tsakali, can I have a word with you?” you said.

You ushered the anubis aside. “What the hell is the ‘Writ of the Empty Field’?” you hissed.

“It’s an ancient doctrine. To ensure that the city always had enough food, the law states that empty fields capable of growing crops can be farmed by any person with the means to do so, as long as they pay the land owner a small fee. If a field is cultivated in such fashion often enough, the farmer can petition for a land transfer.” Said Tsakali.

“What constitutes ‘small’? Is it a percentage?” you asked.

“The law was left purposefully ambiguous. Nobles would often use the law and their influence to overtake nearby farms back in the day. These days, it’s a rarity, but…”

“Alright, I think I understand.” You nodded.

The lamia and the succubus looked less than thrilled by your return. You straightened your back and looked at the succubus.

“Why didn’t you plant anything in the field this season?” you asked.

“I was letting the earth rest. It was depleted.” Said Oraja.

“That’s a damnable lie! You were too cheap to hire more labor, so you let the field go empty.” Said Pangattus.

“Is that true?” you asked the succubus.

She didn’t break her gaze, but you could tell by the way her throat twitched that there was at least a kernel of truth to what the snake woman had said.

“There may have been a few… ‘issues’ with the hiring this year, but the land was in need of fertilizing anyways! Now I have to wait ANOTHER year to harvest, since now the soil is even worse!” protested the semen demon.

“Then you should have cordoned the field off!” said Pangattus.

“I never expected anyone to make use of that archaic law in this day and age!”

“Enough. The legality of the seeding is moot at this point. Ma’am, have you levied a fee against her?” you asked the succubus.

“I have. And she refused to pay it. Violating the very law she used to farm MY land.” Said Oraja.

“Your fee was astronomical! Your Majesty, she was completely unreasonable! I am more than willing to pay, but only if the sum is as modest as the Writ permits!” said the lamia.

“What was the net profit you made?” you asked the snake. 

“I’ve yet to sell all the grain. It’s impossible to say, but I estimate the total profits to be roughly 20,000 Apliselinian Crescents.” Said Pangattus.

“Ha! Are you giving that grain to charity? You’ve easily made twice that much already.” Said Oraja.

“I have all the accounts with me if you’d like to check for yourself.” Huffed Pangattus.

“Tsakali, can you verify that?” you asked.

“Certainly. The ledger, if you would please.” Said Tsakali. After a brief inspection she handed the book back and nodded.

“She’s sold only about a quarter of the grain so far, but 20,000 Crescents seems consistent.”

“Only a quarter?” you said.

You looked at the Pangattus. She smiled at you, and flashed Oraja a wry smile.

“Pangattus, in accordance with the Writ of the Empty Field, I order you to pay a sum of 15,000 Crescents to Oraja.”

“15,000?!” shrieked Pangattus. Oraja’s tail began to thrash as her face brightened.

“And I’ll make it twenty if you keep yelling. You know that Apliseline is going to war, and now you’re planning to gouge the state into paying extra for that crop, aren’t you?” you said.

Pangattus ground her teeth as she glared at you. “You DARE insinuate that I would be so disloyal?!”

“I do. Perhaps matters like this could be avoided if you ask the land owner for permission next time. As for you…” you said, addressing Oraja “I expect more foresight in terms of staffing in the future. I won’t accept such a weak excuse again.”

The succubus nodded quickly. “Of course, Your Majesty!”

“Where is Nauraea?! I demand an audience!” shouted Pangattus.

“Tsakali, how do I dismiss a case?” you asked.

“You don’t. Dismissal implies that the entire case is to be thrown out, nulling all-“

“How do I end things.” You interjected quickly.

“Oh, well, you’ve rendered your verdict, so the matter is settled. Unless you wanted to add anything.” Said the anubis.

“No, that will be all.” You said.

“As you wish. I shall sign the scroll recording the decision and file it in the archives.” Said Tsakali, using her paw to leave a print at the end of the papyrus.

“Where is the queen? I refuse to be treated like this.” Seethed Pangattus.

You looked at her, unsure of how to proceed. This is why you didn’t want to be king: too much drama.

A pair of guards moved in and Pangattus was escorted away.

“Well, all things considered, I think that went rather well. An excellent verdict, Majesty.” Said Tsakali.

~~~~~~

Songs from Earth always helped to liven your spirits, no matter how down you were feeling. You had been helping some of the touring musicians learn some tunes from back home as a way to escape Nauraea for a few hours and to speak with other people who weren’t trying to kiss your ass.

And the crown got paid. You hadn’t learned about that detail until one of them praised you for being worth the tutoring fee. Tsakali had quickly broken under your scrutiny and admitted that she had levied a small charge for your instruction.

“Aquipalen, could I have a word?” you asked one of the gandharvas.

“Sure! What’s up? Is my timing off?” asked the harpy.

“No, nothing like that. Could we speak in private?” you said softly.

There was a loud twang as a succubus pulled a string on her sitar a little too hard. Her other bandmates began to grin at each other and whisper excitedly.

“Huh? You mean, alone…?” she asked, a rosy blush forming in her cheeks.

“More alone than this.” You said. You were never truly alone in this palace. There was ALWAYS a guard just around the corner. They weren’t the most vigilant bunch, given how many times Lierus had managed to slip past them, but they would certainly notice if you tried to abscond with one of the visiting troubadours.

Ushering her to a balcony, you quickly peered over the edge to make sure that no monsters were hiding underneath. It looked clear enough, not that you were going to dangle over the edge to get a better view. One of the guards stepped away from the door and positioned herself across the room so she could see you two on the balcony.

“What did you want to talk about?” asked Aquipalen.

“I need your help to escape the city.” You said.

Aquipalen balked. “W-what?”

“I’m trying to break out. I need as many allies as I can get.” You said.

“But why? You’re a king!” said Aquipalen.

“Not yet I’m not. And I’d like to keep it that way. I haven’t come this far in this world to settle for an acceptable marriage. I know the woman I love is out there somewhere. And she isn’t that damnable snake.” You said.

Aquipalen relaxed a bit. Sighing, she looked out over the city and plucked the strings of her instrument to form a lazy melody. “Why are you telling me this? Nauraea would have us both thrown in the dungeon if anyone ever found out…”

“You’re a servant of Eros, are you not?”

Aquipalen smiled. “That I am. I show my respect to the Lady in my music; when I play, I do so to venerate her and spread her indefatigable love.”

“And the others who serve Eros, would they help me if it was in the name of true love?” you asked.

“They would.” Said Aquipalen without hesitation.

The conviction of her answer gave you hope. You had interacted with Eros cultists numerous times, and found them to be amicable every time. When you had expressed your fears of being claimed or falling into bed with someone who sated you instead of satisfied you, they had assuaged your fears and informed you that love was something that moved at its own pace.

“Could I count on them to help me escape? Any aid they can offer is paramount to my survival.” You said.

Aquipalen fidgeted. “It wouldn’t be much. We can’t afford to arouse Nauraea’s ire. She’s never been keen on having to share power with the Church. We do have the strength to resist her, but it goes against our doctrine to interfere with local politics unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“You’d also be helping to stop a full-scale war in the Capsalisma.” You offered.

“Eros does despise war…” mused Aquipalen.

“Ask the priestesses who have attendee court how much love there is between Nauraea and I. She isn’t the one.” You said sternly.  
Aquipalen nodded. “I can’t promise anything, but I shall relay your message to the High Priestess. It will be she who determines our course of action.”

“That’s all I ask. You listening to my plea is already more than I have the right to ask for. And please, for your sake, do not endanger the cult for my sake alone.” You said.

“Don’t worry about us, Anon. The Lady watches over us all.”

God bless these birbs. Eros cultists really were the cream of the crop.

“Aquipalen! Are you done flirting?~” called one of her bandmates. The guard glowered at you.

“Calm down, we’re coming.” Said Aquipalen.

The other musicians snickered and jeered as you stepped back into the room to resume your lesson.

“Anon, when is it MY turn for a solo lesson?~” teased a siren.

“When you can remember more than three words in my language.” You said.

The others laughed and prepared their instruments as you helped them find the tempo for the song again.

~~~~~~~

That night, Nauraea moved your dinner to a private table on the grand balcony in front of the throne, overlooking Apliseline.

“Much more romantic this way, no?” asked Nauraea, sipping her wine.

“The breeze is nice…” you said. Wind whipped your hair as you dug into your meat.

You looked down the main road, stretching all the way from the palace to the primary entrance of Apliseline. Fires lit the night up and down, illuminating the nighttime revelers as they shopped, drank, sung, and fucked up and down the street. When you had first toured the city, you wondered how so many bars and clubs could operate in such close proximity. Until you had seen how Apliselinians drank. You watched as a minotaur carried her husband on her back out of one bar, only to stagger across the street into another.

“Tsakali told me about the land dispute.” Nauraea chuckled. “15,000… Perhaps you and I are more alike than we though.”

“She was going to gouge us anyways.” You said.

“She certainly was. If the fine had been lower, she might have denied us a single stalk of grain until we waived the fee. But with that amount, she’ll be forced to liquidate some of her stock to keep her books in check. Good of you to remind the nobles who they serve. I swear, these plebians collect a few acres of land and a pile of coins and suddenly think they have enough leverage to dam the Skotenthram River.” Said Nauraea.

“If I did so well, you could always reward me by never making me mediate another dispute again.” You offered.

“I should think not, dear husband. I’d never let you squander your talent for adjudicating.” Said Nauraea. She finished her wine and set the glass down with a contented sigh. “How were the musicians? Are they making much progress?”

“In a relative sense.” You chuckled.

Nauraea grinned. “You must admit, your language is strange. So jolting and blocky… My tongue aches just thinking about it.”

“They’ll get there. Not that there will be much of an audience for music that isn’t prurient. The first questions they ask me without fail are the words for love and sex.”

“{Sex}, hmm? That’s one word I do enjoy. So concise and curt. It really emphasizes the carnality of the concept, removes love from the question.” Said Nauraea.

“But love is the best part.” You protested.

“Love is a wonderful thing, but sex is the epitome of love; a tangible expression of your adoration. To know your lover wholly is a pleasure like no other.” Said Nauraea.

“Aren’t you a virgin?” you chuckled.

“Not for long.” Said Nauraea coldly.

You shut your trap and finished your meal in silence. Better to not arouse her ire, lest her evening ‘cuddles’ be more violent than they need to be. Nauraea watched you wordlessly, eyeing you with her coal black eyes.

“I should be going, I have one last appointment before bed. Go clean yourself, I’ll be there to coil you soon~” said Nauraea.

As soon as she slithered away, you hurried to your room as quickly as possible. Lierus was due for a visit tonight, and you couldn’t afford to miss her.

Sure enough, within a few minutes of you arriving, Lierus had sidled into your room. It was clear that the past week had taken a toll on her. Though most of her face was hidden, her eyes professed profound lassitude. She even looked slimmer.

“Have you learned anything new?” she asked. You stifled a wince as you heard how raspy her voice had become.

“Nothing much, I’m afraid. I wasn’t able to overhear much of anything today. I know that another 500 soldiers are entering the city tomorrow, and that Nauraea is confident she has enough food to weather a siege.” You said.

“I thought as much…” said Lierus.

“Are you alright?” you asked.

Lierus shot you a panicked expression. “Of course! I am the Pharaoh’s spymaster!”

“Just don’t kill yourself. If you get sloppy, it could risk everything.” You said.

“More than you know.” Said Lierus softly.

“This is all coming to a head, Lierus. Is Nefkara coming?” you asked nervously.

“Yes. She should be marching on Apliseline as we speak. But crossing the Capsalisma is no easy task. The logistics of such a mobilization are more of a quagmire than the actual combat.”

“I’m sure she’ll get through. I believe in her.”

Lierus nodded lazily. “I must go.”

Without anymore warning, the girtablilu hurried away over the balcony. You expected Nauraea to enter moments after your assassin friend departed, as was tradition, but Nauraea never came. After a few minutes of waiting, you slunk into the bathroom to clean yourself, waiting patiently for your serpentine lover to arrive.

“Moon above, it’s too cold out tonight. Thank the stars you humans are so warm…” Nauraea grumbled, bursting into the room.  
You lifted your legs to allow her to coil under you, ensnaring you in her body. She nuzzled into your chest, savoring the warm sensation of your skin on her cool scales and skin.

“Gods, I can’t wait to taste this body. If I weren’t so disciplined, I would have killed you with mana poisoning by now.” Said Nauraea. You shivered as she licked your neck. “Hmm~ I can never get enough of that sensation, the feeling of you writhing helplessly. I rule an empire, and yet nothing gives me a sense of absolute power more than knowing I can break you whenever I choose.”

She looked into your eyes, her vertical pupils boring holes into you from their citrine cradles. 

“And I WILL break you. I’ll defile you so thoroughly that even Eros herself won’t be able to remove the stains on your soul. I will claim the very fabric of your being for myself. And YOU…”

She licked her fangs with exaggerated slowness. A bead of venom welled at the tip of her fang, splashing down onto your face. You moaned as your skin began to tingle.

“…Are going to LOVE it~”

Nauraea laughed as your member stiffened between her coils. Settling in, you prepared for another long, sleepless night.

~~~~~~~

A few days later, breakfast was interrupted by words you had been waiting too long to hear.

“Nefkara’s army marches on Apliseline!” panted a breathless harpy.

“Oh?” said Nauraea, taking a sip of tea.

“They’ll be here within three days.” Said the harpy.

“I see. You are dismissed, messenger. Get some rest.” Said Nauraea with a dismissive wave.

“You seem awfully… unphased by that news.” You said. You had been hoping for something more; panicked rambling, screaming, a spit-take…  
“Did you expect the queen to lose her head? I’ve been around long enough to remain unflappable in times like this.” Said Nauraea.

“I see. So, should I start packing my things? I’d like for all my stuff to be readily available when I’m freed.” You said.

Nauraea didn’t rise to your taunt. She just took another sip of tea and continued to read the scroll Tsakali had brough for her. A lump formed in your throat. It wasn’t the way the Nauraea was ignoring you that made you nervous, it was the conceited grin she tried to hide behind her mug.

“You’re going to visit Sauritus today. She’ll be by soon to collect you.” Said Nauraea.

The apophis hummed a hymn to herself, tail wagging underneath the table. She wouldn’t be so cocky when you were helping Nefkara’s soldiers raze her palace. You rallied your spirits by reminding yourself that the deck was already stacked in your favor. Nefkara had a clear picture of what things were like in Apliseline. And you weren’t as toothless as Nauraea thought. All that rigorous training under the teachers of Valisisas hadn’t been for naught.

This grape snake would get what’s coming to her, even if you had to be the one to deliver the beatdown.

~~~~~~~~

Sauritus pricked your finger and let the blood run into a tube. Pouring in a freshly made concoction, she swirled it and let it sit while she asked you a few questions.

“Has Her Highness been regularly exposing you to her bodily fluids?” asked the physician.

“Yes.”

“Do said bodily fluids include venom or saliva?”

You shuddered. “Yes.”

Sauritus ground her teeth. “That incorrigible, arrogant… When exposed to any of her fluids containing high amounts of mana, or spending extended periods of time in close proximity to Nauraea, do you feel sensations of nausea, dizziness, or headaches?”

“Yes.” You said.

“How severe are these symptoms?” probed Sauritus.

“Painful, but not excruciating.” You said.

Sauritus nodded. Setting down the parchment she was writing on, she swirled the test tube and inspected its contents.

“You’ve come a long way. In the short time you’ve been here, you’ve already become far less susceptible to mana poisoning.” Said Sauritus.

A chill ran down your spine. “How susceptible?”

Sauritus set the vial down and smiled at you from over her shoulder. “Robust enough to endure a conjugal tryst with the Lady.”

“Sauritus, you’ve got to help me. Is there anything you can do to stall her?” you pleaded.

“I could…”

You breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. You’re a life saver.”

“But I won’t.”

“Huh?”

Sauritus giggled. “Why would I stop her? She’s my queen.”

“But I thought-“

“Thought what? That I would protect you forever? Keep stalling Nauraea by telling her you were too weak for months? While our nemesis crushes our city? I WANT her to take you. I want the sand seas of the Capsalisma to be draped in darkness for eternity. I’m one of Her Highnesses most ardent followers after all.” Smiled Sauritus.

“Sauritus…”

“I’m sorry you’re upset, Anon. But refusing to accept your station is your own responsibility. In time, you’ll warm to Her Highness. Men are always happy with their wives eventually, some just take a bit longer to ‘adjust’.” Said Sauritus.

Your stomach churned. All this time, you had considered Sauritus a potential ally, even a friend. All the time you had spent commiserating with each other about Nauraea and her whims, all the conversations about Earth medicine, for nothing. You had even held a faint hope that she would help smuggle you out for medical reasons. Yet here she was, ready to hand you over to Nauraea. Not that you could blame her, a hostile army was heading for her city. Important to remember that these people had much more to lose than you…

She clasped your hand in hers. “You’ll be alright, Anon. I promise. No matter what she does to you, I’ll always be here to patch you up.”

You pulled away from her. Ever since you arrived, you had imagined escape to be as easy as finding the right friends. But now that the time of reckoning was on the horizon, it felt like the walls were closing in. You were further from freedom than ever before.

~~~~~~~~

You hardly ate dinner that night. Nauraea didn’t notice, or was too engrossed in managing her troops to care. Every other minute, a new messenger would come with a report or update on a certain project.

Eventually, the flow of couriers trickled to a stop and Nauraea had a moment to sip her wine and savor her meal.

“Anon, I require your presence after dinner tonight.” She ordered.

“Some sort of paperwork?” you asked.

“No, nothing so dull.” She replied.

Signaling for the servants to collect the empty platters, she waved you to her side. You followed her as she led you through the corridors of the palace.

“I though it would be nice to have a moment to ourselves tonight~” she said.

She parted a pair of curtains and entered a room unlike any other you had seen in the palace. Sticks of incense burned slowly in sand bowls, wafting intoxicating scents of exotic spices into the cool air. The walls were adorned with art and reliefs, depicting surprisingly chaste images of couples and tranquil scenery. At the center of the room, a simple stone slab rose out of the sea of carpets. A room more Zen than an apophis had any right to make.

“I thought you would appreciate the aesthetic. I normally don’t enjoy such mundane things, but every now and then I do yearn for a moment of peace and quiet.” Said Nauraea. She slithered to the slab and lay prone on top.

You balked. Was this some kind of rape dungeon? It didn’t feel like it, but maybe Nauraea wanted to take you slowly. To watch you squirm and writhe as she took her time making you hers.

“Relax. I’m not going to take you. Yet…” she sneered, resting her head on her arms. “Come here.”

You hesitantly shuffled over to her, standing over her as she rested on the stone. She reached down to unhook her breast ornaments and to shed her silver snake-hood. Tossing them aside, she exhaled sharply as her bare breasts touched the cool stone.

“I’d like a massage, dear husband. Won’t you help your darling wife?~” she asked.

You chewed your lip in frustration, but dug your hands into the small of her back and start kneading.

“Ah! Use some oil, you savage. Have you never done this before?” scolded Nauraea, slapping your hand away with the tip of her tail. She used the tip to gesture to an urn sitting over a small candle next to the slab.

Hesitantly, you dipped your hand in the urn. The warm, sage-scented oil clung to your fingers as you smeared your palm across her back. Nauraea cooed and arched her back as the liquid slowly trickled down her sides. Quickly, you scooped up the renegade rivulets and lathered her upper back with the excess.

“Amateur~ Let’s see how fast you can improve, hmm?” said Nauraea, wiggling her butt at you.

Rising to her taunts, you dug your thumbs deeper into her muscles and began to rub.

“Ooh! I think you might be more tense than I am.” Teased Nauraea.

Your task dragged on, you taking out your frustrations on her back and her moaning softly as you savaged her muscles with your fingers.

“Nefkara’s army will be here tomorrow.” Said Nauraea abruptly.

Your hands slipped, and you nearly slid onto her back. “W-what?”

Nauraea giggled. “That was a nice reaction. You’ve been dreading this day as much as I’ve been anticipating it, haven’t you?”

“On the contrary. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you thrashed by a REAL queen since I got here.” You said.

Nauraea’s body trembled as she laughed. “You’re a liar, Anon. I’ve been empress long enough to hear the fear in your voice. You know what will happen tomorrow, don’t you? Or, you think you know. I’ve been thinking allll about it, our first romantic union. It took days of contemplating, but I think I’ll take you on the city wall. Rape you in front of Nefkara herself, let her get a good look as I take your seed. Then… Then I ride out to squash that INSECT.” Said Nauraea.

That’s yet to be seen. She hadn’t claimed you, not yet. You still had Lierus and her network of spies working behind the scenes.

“No retort? No more audacious claims about my imminent demise? Not even a ‘humph’?” pouted Nauraea.

“I’m afraid not, wife.” You said.

“Hmm. I see.” She said. “How is Lierus, by the way?”

You stifled a gasp as you pulled away from Nauraea. She twisted around to give you a sinister smile, fangs glinting in the candlelight.  
“Oh Yes! THAT is the face I’ve been waiting so long to see again. That look of dread! The despondence! Perfect…”

She swiped your legs with her tail, knocking you onto the carpets. You tried to blast her with a bolt of magic, but she effortlessly nullified the spell and used her own magic to seize your hands. Lifting you up with her tail, she positioned you under her body and pinned your hands above your head as you thrashed on the slab.

“Did you REALLY think you could cheat me? That I wouldn’t KNOW?” hissed Nauraea. “I’m the QUEEN, you fool. I knew the second that bumbling arachnid entered my city. I knew what she said to you, and when she said it. The ONLY reason you spoke to her at all was because I allowed it. Your arrogance was almost intolerable; peacocking around thinking that YOU, a fool who can’t even keep himself from stumbling into every trap set before him, were smarter than me. But now, it’s all worth it…”

She licked her lips. All the excitement had her dripping venom from her fangs.

“You were so smug, weren’t you? You thought that everything was going to go your way again, that you were going to pull out by the skin of your teeth because that’s the way it’s always happened in the past. But it was never YOU who was behind all those daring escapes, it was always someone else. Left to your own devices, you would have succumb to that pathetic titania in Admaz.”

A small gasp drew both your attentions to the door. Lierus stood in the doorway, hand clasped over her mouth.

“Lierus! Help! Stab her!” you shouted.

“Ahh! I was wondering how long it would take you to find us. What took you so long?” asked Nauraea.

“I’m sorry, mistress! The Vizier waylaid me with small talk. And I’ve been so weak…” pleaded the girtablilu.

Nauraea shook her head. “Aww, poor thing. Come here, I’ll ease your pain.”

Lierus scrambled over to her, turning up carpets as she threw herself at the foot of the slab. Nauraea released you, using the base of her tail to pin you while she embraced the quivering scorpion.

“Look at how frail she is, Anon.” said Nauraea, stroking Lierus’s hair. “She just hasn’t been the same since I gave her that first dose of venom. Always asking for more… it’s practically all she does these days.”

You watched in horror as Nauraea sunk her fangs into Lierus’s shoulder. Lierus went limp as the venom began to circulate in her veins. After a minute of pumping, Nauraea released her and let her collapse to the floor in a puddle of her own juices.

“M-mistress…” croaked Nauraea.

“Yes, I haven’t forgotten. Guards! Take this exemplary subject away, and find her a husband.” Called Nauraea. Two mummies quickly dragged the addled scorpion out of the room.

“Now, where were we? Ah! Right, Lierus. I want you to know that she DID relay all the information you gave to her network of spies. A shame that none of it was true. Tsakali made sure that all the real information was given to me in writing. The deception had to be perfect, you know. All the pieces had to move at exactly the right time for this to work. Nefkara believes that my army is still small, and that the force she has hastily cobbled together will be enough to subdue me before I can muster all my forces. She is sorely mistaken. But it’s too late now. She hasn’t the army to defeat me, nor the time to rally enough forces to fight me on more even terms.” Said Nauraea.

Fucking monologues. You were getting flashbacks to all the speeches Petropa had given you back in the castle.

“And it’s all thanks to you.” Said Nauraea, caressing your cheek. “That’s what I like about you, Anon. Even when I’m surrounded by a court full of sycophants, even when there’s no chance you can win, you still hold on to that stubborn pride just as tightly as the day I met you. Or could it be hope, that’s been spurring you on all this time? Admirable, no matter what drives you. You’ll be the loving prince I’ve waited so long to meet. You’re still weak, too weak to survive much of my love, but you’re growing stronger by the day. And… as much as I love to watch you squirm… I hope that you will eventually reciprocate my love...”

You looked into Nauraea’s gleaming eyes as she nudged a lock of hair out of your eyes. Almost caringly. For a moment, you saw not just a tyrant, but a very lonely woman.

“Save your strength, husband. I’ll need every ounce of it tomorrow~” said Nauraea. She planted a kiss on your forehead and hugged you close, steeling herself for the day of reckoning.

~~~~~~~

“We’ve spotted Nefkara’s vanguard on the horizon, Empress.” Said the harpy.

“Right on time.” Chuckled Nauraea. One of her attendants cinched the straps of her ceremonial armor taut.

While your captor finished dressing in her indestructible armor, you couldn’t help but feel a bit naked in your ornamental scale armor top and patterned waistcloth. Nauraea had insisted that there was no need for additional protection, as she would personally prevent anything from harming you. She had also informed you that it was pointless ‘since they were just coming off anyways.’

“Tsakali! Is Sauritus standing by?” asked Nauraea.

“She is. I’ve also made wedding preparations at the Temple of Eros for tomorrow.” Said the anubis.

“Excellent! I was wondering if they were going to try to come to your aid, Anon. But it seems as if they finally understand that they are guests in my city.” 

You gulped. Whatever Nefkara did, she had better do it fast.

“The sandworms are standing by. Shall I have them engage?” asked Tsakali.

“No, keep them far enough away to avoid detection. I need the whore to commit before I crush her.” Said Nauraea.

“Very good, Empress. I suggest you begin making your way to the wall.” Said Tsakali.

“A splendid idea. Come, Anon.” commanded Nauraea.

By now, you could see evidence that Nefkara’s army was approaching. A cloud of harpies and griffons darkened the sky over the wall in the distance, wheeling about the sky in formations as they awaited the order to attack.

Nauraea led you through the palace to the courtyard, and loaded you into a chariot and proceeded down the main road to the central gate. Your mind was racing, desperately trying to think of a way to escape in the eleventh hour. It was going to come down to fighting, no doubt about it now. And you were far outclassed. Any one of the hundreds of battlemages swarming through the streets towards the walls would be enough to hinder or halt you, and to even get to them you would have to disengage from one of the most powerful creatures on the continent. But unless Nefkara could lower the barrier, fleeing wasn’t an option. Unless…

You channeled a bit of power into your palms. The hair on your arms raised as the static sensation of magic filled your limbs. Maybe Nauraea wasn’t as omniscient as she suspected. She may have planned this entire plot months in advance, but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t over looked anything. The barrier, for instance, had been attuned to your spirit energy in just a few days. A hasty job, and since its efficacy hadn’t been tested beyond the initial trial of you walking out a gate, there was no reason to believe that Nauraea had reenforced the barrier. And if it was just your spirit energy that was keeping you trapped, wouldn’t that mean that escape would be as simple as getting rid of it? It stood to reason that something without your spirit energy could fly through unimpeded.

“Tsakali, send up an extra squad of harpies to keep an eye on those Eros cultists. I don’t like how many of them are up there…” said Nauraea, eyeing the circling cupids, hori, and gandharvas. The dutiful cultists were doing their best to dissuade any aggression, flying to and fro begging the soldiers to put down their arms and resolve things peacefully in the name of Eros. A few even flew in from outside the city, both Nefkara’s and Nauraea’s cultists corroborating to put an end to the dispute.

“Treacherous zealots…” hissed Nauraea, watching a flock of cupids fly back over the wall. You looked up into the miasma of winged beasts, but nowhere in the menagerie did you see a friendly face.

The walls were getting closer. Looks like it was time to play your last card; it wasn’t as if you had much to lose. If you plan worked, you would have a small chance that Nefkara’s army could save you. If it didn’t… Well, at least Nauraea wouldn’t be able to milk you for much.

Your hands flared as you prepared to jump. Nauraea instantly noticed.

“Don’t even think about-“

Her threat was cut short as you summoned a seesaw made of wards and slammed down on the far end. The force shot you into the air and blew the front of the chariot to smithereens. 

Monsters shrieked as you shot past them. Nauraea roared in anger behind you. Readying another seesaw of wards, you slammed down onto it and shot forward again. Your personal wards tingled as Nauraea tried to grab you with magic. Twisting in the air, you launched a bolt of magic back at her to disrupt the spell as you spiraled through the air.

A volley of other spells rocked your wards as nearby mages unleashed on you. Their bombardment quickly abated as Nauraea called them off. Ignoring them, you blasted a harpy trying to intercept you and continued your rampage towards the wall. Midair, you leaned back and launched a massive shot of magic skyward. Nefkara had better be ready…

~~~~~~~

“Pharaoh! Our scouts report a disturbance within the city!” cried a griffon.

Nefkara rubbed the hilt of her sword. “Is it him?”

A pillar of blue light shot up out of Apliseline, scattering the flying monsters in the vicinity. A platoon of harpies and wyverns shot down into the city in pursuit of something.

“I should think so, Milady.” Said an anubis.

“Move in a small contingent of troops. Have the magi begin their siege on the barrier. Have the geomancers ready to divert the river to cut off a sandworm incursion from the east. I want a corridor of soldiers stretching from our garrison here to the city walls. Move all archers into a position closer to the gate. And send in all harpy regiments to get as close to the wall as they can while staying out of range.” Commanded Nefkara.

“As you wish, Milady.”

The field marshal began barking orders to the other commanders, who in turn dispatched the troops under their control, and the great lumbering army of Kyriavalissa maneuvered into position.

“Are you preparing to breach the wall, Highness?” asked the field marshal.

“I’m praying that it doesn’t come to that.” Said Nefkara.

~~~~~~~

In less than a minute, you were almost at the wall. Nauraea’s aerial troops had learned to give you a wide berth after you had zapped a few of them out of the air.

Your limbs were on fire. All the spells you had been casting were quickly catching up with you, and there wasn’t much mana left in your body. 

Leaping towards the wall again, you adjusted your pitch so that you shot more vertically than horizontally. The walls of Apliseline were tall, and now that you were hurtling towards them, you realized that they might be TOO tall for your plan to work. You boosted yourself in midair, trying to gain altitude. Your vision began to swim as magic poured out of your body. The lag between the energy expenditure and the ensuing fatigue was closing. Every movement felt sluggish. Mustering the last of your strength, you launched yourself towards the top of the wall with all the force you could muster. The rest was up to Nefkara.

~~~~~~~~

Aquipalen watched Anon leap down the street. A cupid fluttered next to her, watching the chaos below.

“He’s going for the wall.” Observed the cupid.

“Yeah…” said Aquipalen morosely. This whole day had been a disaster; all this fighting was anathema to the love that Eros demanded.  
“I think he’s trying to go over.” Said the cupid.

“Do you think we should help him?” asked Aquipalen.

The cupid furrowed her brow as she watched the human protect himself from another of Nauraea’s spells. “Our orders were to not intervene unless absolutely necessary.”

Aquipalen bit her lip. Wouldn’t freeing Anon avert the war? After all, if Nauraea didn’t have leverage in the form of a husband, there was no need for a preemptive strike from Nefkara. And it wasn’t as if Anon was deeply in love with Nauraea anyways. So if there wasn’t any consequence to taking Anon away, but there were massive consequences for allowing him to be raped by Nauraea, then surely it made sense to help him escape.

Right?

“Oh Eros, give me a sign…” whispered Aquipalen.

Anon shot a blast of magic straight into the air. Other harpies squawked and pulled back, giving him space to safely discharge any other spells he felt inclined to cast. Aquipalen clenched her teeth and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“So be it.”

Diving out of the sky, she made a beeline for the bounding human below. Her cupid compatriot yelled something unintelligible after her, but the whistling wind drowned out whatever warning or encouragement she offered.

As Anon flew towards the wall, his intent to vault over it was clarified by his sudden surge upwards. Aquipalen beat her wings harder as she closed the distance between her and her target. Pulling up sharply, she matched his height as the last of his magic sputtered out of his hands. Other harpies took notice of their prey’s enervation and swooped after Aquipalen.

Reaching out with her talons, Aquipalen managed to snag Anon by the shoulders as his drained body floated to the apex of his flight. A trickle of blood ran out of his nose down his pallid face. With a swing of her powerful legs, Aquipalen flicked Anon forward over the wall. His body hitched as it made contact with the barrier, falling just outside the wall.

“Good luck, Anon.” panted Aquipalen.

~~~~~~~~~

Nauraea watched the gandharva fly after Anon. The poor fool had exhausted all his mana before he had even reached the gate. She smirked as the light from his palms flickered and extinguished.

“Defiant until the end. Sauritus, can you revive-“

The gandharva snatched Anon’s body out of the air and gave it the boost necessary to fly over the wall. Nauraea watched in horror as his body flew over, disappearing on the other side.

“WHAT?! NO!” screeched Nauraea.

“I told you not to tell him how the barrier works!” said Tsakali.

“Incoming!”

A volley of magic slammed into the barrier, leaving shimmering patterns in the sky as Nefkara’s army began its siege. Only a few brave flying monsters dipped over the wall after him.

“Open the gate! I’ll drag that bastard in myself!” snarled Nauraea.

“Majesty Nefkara has begun her siege! We need you to maintain the barrier lest the walls fail!” pleaded Tsakali.

Nauraea felt more of her mana drain as another round of spells washed over the barrier. A blazing beam of incandescence shot down from the sky, crackling as it connected with the invisible shield.

“To the walls then! Return fire!” shouted Nauraea.

~~~~~~~

Nefkara watched as Anon popped up over the wall. His body snagged on the barrier and clipped the wall, but managed to bounce just outside the great bastion. One astute wyvern and her husband noticed him and shot down to grab him before he hit the ground. Nefkara’s heartbeat quickened as the trio shot towards her forward lines.

“Mages! Begin the attack! I don’t care what spells you cast, just put pressure on the city!” shouted Nefkara.

The army began its siege. A nasty dogfight broke out in the air as several of Nauraea’s aerial troops attacked the monsters escorting the wyvern. Nefkara added a bit of her own magic to the assault, smiling as she watched the barrier strain against her. Nauraea’s army retaliated, firing off a wave of spells out over Nefkara’s troops.

“Pharaoh! Shall we send in the first wave?” shouted the field marshal.

“The plans have changed! We’re leaving. Rally the troops and prepare to fend off a counter-offensive!” said Nefkara.

“Leaving?!”

“Leaving. I won’t risk my queendom to participate in a stalemate.” Said Nefkara.

“… As you wish, Pharaoh.”

The field marshal began barking orders again, redirecting Nefkara’s army. Nauraea’s army had done their best to reclaim Anon, but had been quickly overwhelmed by the hail of spells and arrows put forth by Nefkara’s troops below. The wyvern and her dragoon landed next to the Pharaoh, panting as she dropped Anon into the sand.

“Sun be praised. That was some excellent flying. You two will be well rewarded when we return to Kyriavalissa.” Said Nefkara.  
“Thank you, Pharaoh.” Wheezed the wyvern. Her husband slid off her, nursing a wound on his arm he incurred while protecting his wife. She wrapped him in her beige wings and nuzzled his arm, lapping up some of the spirit energy leaking out.

“I know you must be exhausted, but we’re going to retreat. Rest while you can, we move at once.” Said Nefkara.

“Yes, Pharaoh.” Said the man, giving a small salute.

A stream of monsters poured past them as the horde redirected itself back towards Kyriavalissa. Sandworms breached through the desert in the distance. The geomancers quickly carved a fresh canal in the desert, redirecting the river so that the worm’s approach was cut off.

Both sides exchanged a few last shots at each other, before Nefkara’s army slipped out of range and back into the desert.

~~~~~~~

Searing pain shot through your arm. Shouting in agony, you clenched your left arm, which only made things worse. Every bump and jolt sent a fresh bout of excruciating pain through your limb.

“Stop moving you idiot! It’s broken!”

You whipped around in pain-addled confusion as the accusatory voice lambasted you. Where the hell were you? What happened? It seemed like you weren’t going to make it. You checked your waistcloth. It didn’t FEEL like Nauraea had had her way with you. You felt distinctly unraped.

A sphinx glared at you. Poking her head out the tent flap, she shouted something to the others and helped you back into bed as you fought back tears. Your arm was a swollen mess.

“You ran through half my stock, human. What the hell did that defiler do to put you in such a sordid state?” inquired the sphinx.  
You didn’t register her words at first. What was she talking about?

“Defiler?”

“The apophis, you dullard!” said the sphinx.

“…Nauraea? Is she here?” you asked, feeling a bit panicked.

“No! Just… lie down and compose yourself.” Said the sphinx.

You did as you were told; you were too drained to do anything but comply. Besides, all SEEMED well. Except for your arm. That still hurt.

“Anon! So good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

You looked at the tent flap. A matronly silhouette blocked the entrance, hidden by the blinding rays pouring in around her. She took a step in. You instantly realized by the crown adoring her silky black hair and lack of monstrous features that this must be Nefkara.  
For the first time in a long time, you felt truly at ease. Being around Nauraea for so long had cultivated a persistent sense of unease; a stress that permeated your body and mind that couldn’t be shaken no matter how far apart you were from her. Nefkara was a soothing contrary. Her motherly smile washed away any lingering doubts you had. You were safe as long as she was here.

“I- uhh…” you stammered.

“No need for a formal greeting. We can redo the introduction when we reach Kyriavalissa. I know that you must be confused, and in no small amount of pain. Our pharmacomancers will tend to you soon.” She said. Even her voice conferred the warmth of the sun itself.  
“What happened? I didn’t think I was going to make it…” you said.

“You almost didn’t. Our scouts say a gandharva helped you get the altitude you needed to get over the wall. Even then, you almost landed on top when you hit the barrier. Your arm bounced off the edge as you passed over. Lucky it did, otherwise you may have been too close to the wall to grab.” Said Nefkara.

“Will Nauraea pursue us?” you asked.

“Doubtful. She prepared for a defensive fight, not an extended chase. By the time she mobilizes her army, the reinforcements I requested will have reached us.”

You sighed. “I’m sorry I caused all this trouble.”

“Trouble seems to have a habit of following you.” Giggled Nefkara.

“So what happens now? What will Nauraea do if she isn’t going to follow us?”

“I suppose she’ll hunker down until she’s sure I won’t launch a counter offensive. After that, who can say? I’ve been trading blows with that serpent for centuries and she still manages to surprise me. That’s why she’s the nature of chaos, I suppose.” Shrugged Nefkara.

“The Eros cult!” you gasped, remembering Aquipalen’s hesitation. “Will they be alright?” 

“As much as Nauraea despises the idea of sharing power with people in her empire, her ultimate goal is love; in whatever perverse form that may take. She will not turn her back on Eros, just as the Lady of Love will not turn hers on Nauraea.” Said Nefkara.

You nodded. What a relief.

“So, I hear you’re trying to get to Zipangu.” Said Nefkara.

“Uhh… Yes. I am.” You said.

“Wonderful! My daughter and her husband are taking a honeymoon there. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a bit of company on one of the royal flagship.” Said Nefkara, clapping her hands together.”

You cocked your head. “Huh?”

“I know it may seem abrupt, but Nauraea is a jealous woman who has spies all over the Capsalisma. If she chooses to come for you, it will be in the form of a knife in the back. I can’t tell you how many assassination attempts I’ve survived. Better for everyone if you leave the Capsalisma until this whole mess blows over.”

“…Okay… Thank you, Pharaoh!” you said quickly. She was royalty after all.

“Of course, my semi-albino friend. Oh this is so exciting! I’m sure you’ll find Kyriavalissa much more agreeable than that festering blemish Apliseline. The night market alone is enough to…”

You zoned out as Nefkara began to extoll the virtues of her city. Absentmindedly, you stroked your chest. Voso’s bargain weighed heavily on your mind. You didn’t have much time left. And Zipangu was still so far away. Not to mention the onslaught of monsters that awaited you once you arrived. Some of the most notorious tricksters and brutalist barbarians lurked in the mountains and towns you would have to pass through.

“Eros preserve me.” You though in silent prayer.

~~~~~~~

“You… YOU…!” seethed Nauraea.

Aquipalen groaned, held in place by her captors. Other members of the Eros cult stood around her, herded into the plaza in front of their cathedral after the skirmish.

“You cost me EVERYTHING.” Hissed Nauraea, grabbing the gandharva’s jaw and forcing her chin upward.

“I do as Eros commands…” said Aquipalen.

“And so you deny me my HUSBAND?!” shouted Nauraea.

“The Lady denies you nothing.”

Nauraea twisted her gaze to the entrance of the cathedral. A houri strutted out, accompanied by a young man. Nauraea’s heart skipped a beat as she met his eyes. His youthful face was full of wonderment as he gazed down the steps at the empress, tinged by only the slightest hint of fearful reverence.

“Eros has heard your pleas, Nauraea. She has heard them every night as you utter them. You have not been forsaken.” Said the houri. The disciples of Eros dropped to their knees as she walked down to the plaza.

“Ahh… An archangel of Eros. Finally someone a little higher in the chain of command.” Said Nauraea. Try as she might to maintain her imperious demeanor, she felt her face redden and her voice quiver as she stole another glance at the boy accompanying the houri. Demon Lord’s creamy thighs… he was so innocent. So pure. So soft…

“Nauraea, you are as determined as you are crafty. But Anon was never meant to be yours. The Lady has something… special in mind for him. And as a token for such an abrupt intervention into your affairs, She offers a substitution.” Said the houri, bowing and sweeping her arms to the boy.

Nauraea licked away a bead of venom as it pooled at the end of her fang. The boy took a step towards her. Seeing her blush, he smiled and bowed.

“W-what is this…? You think that I would be so easily placated… After you…” Nauraea stammered. Her heart hammered in her chest.  
“Empress…” said Tsakali.

“I can’t! I won’t accept him! It’s humiliating!” said Nauraea, shaking her head.

“It would be rude to refuse a gift from the Gods…” offered Tsakali.

Nauraea swallowed the lump in her throat. She had fought Nefkara dozens of times, sometimes coming within inches of defeat. But never had she felt fear like this. The tip of her tail thrashed back and forth as she considered the offer.

“I-I suppose you are right, Vizier. Very well, I shall accept this offering.” She said, keeping her eyes on the young man. His face lit up as she accepted. A grin spread across her face before she stifled it and regained her composure a moment later. “But make no mistake: my conquest of the Capsalisma will continue. I will rule these sands, and chaos shall reign! And you, servants of Eros, will not interfere again.”

The houri smiled and bowed. “Of course, Empress. I shall see to it personally.”

“Good! T-then, you, boy. What is your name?” said Nauraea, pointing to the young man accompanying the houri.

“Kester.” He replied.

“Very well, Kester. Come with me. We have much to talk about.” Said Nauraea.

Nauraea didn’t wait for him to finish descending the staircase, opting to slither over to him and scoop him into her arms before he could even set foot in the plaza.

“Tsakali! Keep watch for Nefkara’s army. Have the troops fortify. I’ll give further orders shortly.” She said, climbing aboard a chariot.

“As you wish, Majesty.” Said Tsakali. Idrial wrapped his arms around her from behind, running his hands over her taught stomach. She reached a paw back to stroke his cheek as he kissed her neck.

“She’s not going to give any more orders, is she?” he said.

“Hush. Let her enjoy herself. This has been centuries in the making.” Said Tsakali.

“How about WE enjoy ourselves?~” he asked.

“I think I can make some time for that~”

Troops quickly dispersed to go find their husbands, or to claim any man they could find in celebration of successfully defending the city. Already choruses of song and sex were rolling out of the doors of taverns and over the eves of the buildings. A monumental day for the city of Apliseline.  
~~~~~~~  
“That was too close, Satval.”

The houri stretched her arms and yawned as she stepped back through the portal, into the realm of Eros divinity. “Whatever do you mean, Prenne?”

“When will this end? I grow weary of watching this song and dance.” Said the cupid, twisting an arrow into her finger.

“Don’t you worry, dear sister.” Said the houri watching through a scrying sphere as Anon was carried towards Kyriavalissa. “I have it on VERY good authority that it will all be over soon. Until then, keep your bow handy and your hands steady.”

Prenne grunted. “As you command, archangel.”

Satval hummed to herself as she watched the alien go, his cart following the snaking red string her Mistress had laid. The anticipation was killing her just as much as Prenne, but if it was for love, she could wait a little longer.


	44. Chapter 44

You stood at the prow of The Spirit of Dunes watching the speck in the distance grow closer. The sturdy ship had carried for more than a month on your way to the magical land of Zipangu. At long last, the end to your perilous journey was in sight. All you had to do was track down a ryu, romance her, and live happily ever after. Simple.

“AAAANNNOOOONNN!”

Princess Sabekar, heir to the throne of Kyriavalissa, daughter of your savior Pharaoh Nefkara, and your gracious host, wrapped an arm around you sloshing wine out of her cup and onto your good shirt. Fuck.

“You don look like you’re having any- any fun.” Said the young pharaoh.

She had been perpetually drunk the entire voyage. You got that it was her honeymoon and all, but the level of decadence and hedonism on board this boat was enough to make Dionysus blush. Everywhere you went, monsters were fucking their husbands. On the deck, in their cabins, on shore leave when the boat was docked, in the rigging, and even at the wheel. And when they weren’t fucking, they were drinking. When you had seen all the casks in the hold, you had assumed that they were to last you until you reached Zipangu. They barely survived until the first pitstop. Every port they visited brought new and wonderous spirits and brews onto the ship to be consumed in earnest.

This was not the dignified pleasure cruise you thought it would be. You imagined that the Sabekar would be more or less a smaller version of her mother: well mannered, wise, and proud. How wrong you were. When the ship docked, the princess would stumble out with her husband, always in some degree of sloven nudity, and raucously greet the adoring monsters who had gathered for her. To her credit, you hadn’t met a port official or royal executive that hadn’t been ecstatic to see her. Maybe this was more common in monster diplomacy than you had thought.

You had kept to yourself for the most part. A combination of malaise and the desire to avoid the single sailors put you in your cabin most of the time. The monsters exuded a tremendous amount of mana with their incessant fornication; enough to make you queasy. Not enough for any of the severe side effects of mana poisoning, but enough to be bothersome. Luckily, the mana did shroud your presence. The idea of being snapped up by a kraken or fish-woman had crossed your mind more than once when you boarded the ship, but there had only been a scant few instances where the ship encountered any unsavory ichthyoid agitators. All of which had been quickly dispatched by the marines on board tasked to protect the princess.

Not that you didn’t get out. There had been many nights where you had drank and sang with the monsters long into the night as you danced on the lantern lit deck. And the food? Incredible. Kyriavalissians really knew how to cook. Every morsel you ate was perfectly cooked and seasoned to perfection. So good, in fact, that you had drunkenly declared to one of the chefs that you would marry her if she wasn’t single. In addition to making the ghoul wildly uncomfortable and her husband incredibly jealous, your hyperbole also spawned a slew of nightmarish culinary creations as the bachelorette sailors tried to “sneak” their own dishes into your meal. Your stomach still hadn’t forgiven you for the clam surprise you had accidentally sampled.

“I am having fun, Highness. Shouldn’t you be sober?” you asked in annoyance, inspecting the splotch on your shirt. You’d have to change before you reached port.

“No!~ It’s my honeymoon, silly!” said Sabekar, taking another pull of wine.

“I see.”

“What? Every monster does this when they get married!~” she giggled.

“I don’t know about EVERY monster…”

“Well, they would if they could afford it. I know I’m the pharaoh’s daughter, but nobles in other cities do it too!”  
“Drag their spouse on a drunken tour-de-fuck across the continent?” you asked.

“You don’t get it! This is the happiest moment of a monster’s life! Err, the beginning of the happiest moment of their life. Monsters like to celebrate marriages wherever you go. I’ve thrown my subjects TONS of wedding parties.”

“If you say so.” You said.

“I DO say so. Don’t make me MAKE you have fun.” Said Sabekar. She meant it, too. She had already used her god-voice to limber you up and make you dance or sing on more than one occasion. Sabekar laughed at her own joke.

“I can’t. I have to prepare myself.” You said.

“Boooo. All you’ve done so far is scribble in that book!” pouted Sabekar.

That you had. Your journal and all your belongings from earth were stuck with a vindictive moon-snake in Apliseline. Not a chance you were ever seeing those again. When you weren’t drinking, eating, or enjoying the sea breeze, you had been rewriting as many details as you could remember about earth. The idea that your identity was slowly slipping away as you forgot more and more of your past life had been haunting you the entire voyage.

“That ‘book’ is my most important possession. I’ll have time for parties after I finish my errand.” You said.

“I KNOW you’re looking for a wife~ I know this adorable khepri princess who’s just your type!” giggled Sabekar.

You glowered at her.

“So stiff! Fine, have it your way. Enjoy whatever demon or monster grabs you. I’ve got a husband to find~”

Sabekar wandered off to ‘search’ for her husband. You knew exactly where the poor bastard was: the bed she had left him in. You didn’t think he had ever been vertical for more than a few minutes the entire cruise. At least Sabekar dragged him out onto the deck every once and a while to fuck him on a lounge chair and give him some sun.

“So, Anon. I hear you’re looking for a wife…” said a mershark sailor. She gave you a toothy grin, showcasing rows of serrated teeth.

“Sorry, I’ve got someone in mind already.” You said.

“Could you be persuaded to change your mind?~” said the mershark, hefting her breasts and wiggling her eyebrows at you.

Damn these monsters. You weren’t sure if it was your slow transformation into an incubus or the weeks you had spent without masturbating, (a death sentence in these confined quarters), but it was harder to resist these girls every day.

“You couldn’t.” you said, turning back to the approaching land.

“Then maybe I’ll have to MAKE you change your mind.” 

You whipped around, index finger alight with blue magic. The mershark stopped in her tracks. These monsters hadn’t seen much of your magic, but what they had seen had left an impression. Whenever the ship had been attacked, you were damn sure to support the marines in any way you could. Your survival depended on them winning, after all. It was also good practice. Nauraea didn’t let you train nearly as much as you’d like to. A couple of bolts were more than enough to convince the crew that attempting to take you by conventional means was a bad idea.

“Alright, fine, sheesh. I was just gonna squeeze you a little…”

The pattered off on her webbed feet. You watched as the harbor came into focus. Fishing boats milled about the docks, unloading their cargo or setting out in search of more quarry. Massive freighters sat perpendicular to piers as swarms of porters moved exotic goods onto the docks. The buildings were nothing short of what you expected. An architectural style that bore an uncanny resemblance to the traditional architecture of Japan back on earth. The idea hit you hard.

Zipangu. This was an alien land. Even if it WAS Japan, you would still be out of your element even on earth. Moving to new places like this was never easy. And now you had to carve an entire life in this strange new world.

You looked up at the mountains looming over the port city below and reassured yourself. This wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle. You had come into the mamono world without even knowing what plane of existence you were on, and did just fine. You had the skill to survive and the will to persevere. There wasn’t anything this island could throw at you that you couldn’t handle.

A harpy soared out over the water. The dark silhouette wheeled over the pharaoh’s ship a few times, and flew back to the city. No doubt Her Highness would cause quite the ruckus when she arrived. You would have to make a quick and quiet exit to avoid being caught in the revelry. There was no telling how many monsters in Zipangu knew of your existence, but you wanted to keep that number at a minimum. The fewer monsters that knew you were on this island, the better.

Your dream for a subtle escape was quickly shattered. As The Spirit of the Dunes got closer to port, more and more boats began to fall in behind the leviathan. You peeked over the balustrade. Two awestruck nekomata in a reed boat stared up at the passing ship as it chugged into port. One of them noticed you and nudged the other. Shit. You retreated to your cabin and packed your things. This might be closer than you thought.

~~~~~~~~~

“HELLO, MAMONO OF ZIPANGU!~” shouted Sabekar.

The crowd roared as Sabekar waved and blew kisses to the throng of onlookers. Her attendants began distributing gifts. You waited patiently out of sight, waiting for your chance to leave. It was inconvenient as hell, but you also had to say goodbye to Sabekar. Making a French exit on a Pharaoh was sure to bite you in the ass. Sabekar was absolutely the kind of person to get petty over such a thing. The last thing you needed when navigating the wilderness of Zipangu was a squad of gitablilu commandos snapping at your heels.  
You inspected your possessions as the drunken princess continued her speech. “So good to be here, I’m so happy to see you all, look at my husband, blah blah blah.” You had heard it half a dozen times already. Soon, she would go with the city officials or local lords to some watering hole and enjoy the finest the city had to offer. When she broke away from the crowd to go drink with the big-wigs, you would dip in, give her your thanks, and be off.

“And I’d also like to introduce a very special friend of mine! Where… Where is he anyways?”

Your blood ran cold. You looked out the porthole in the door you stood behind. Sabekar and her husband were looking around. One of the marines noticed your face in the door and said something to the Pharaoh. Oh no…

“Anon! Come on! You’re missing the fun!” called Sabekar.

You adjusted your pack and dashed deeper into the ship. If you didn’t get out of earshot she wou-

“ANON. COME.”

Your neck jolted painfully as your body turned and hurried itself out the door. A horde of mystified onlookers gawked at you as Sabekar’s supernatural order planted you next to her.

“This is my good friend Anon!” she said, throwing her arms at you to emphasize your arrival. “Isn’t he cool? My mama, she rescued him from an apophis! He’s looking for a wife~”

You could only grit your teeth and stare at Sabekar as she drunkenly laughed. Her husband noticed your discomfort.

“Honey…” he mumbled.

“Hey! I know! Anon, say hello to them! In your language!” said Sabekar.

“Let me go.” You hissed.

Sabekar frowned.

“GREET THEM.”

Your head swiveled back to the monsters. “Hello! My name is Anonymous! It’s a pleasure to meet you all!” you said in English. The monsters were unsure what to make of the strange dialect. Sabekar was in hysterics.

“Ha! That’s the best reaction yet! Oh, what a funny sounding tongue!”

You stood awkwardly for a moment as Sabekar tried to collect herself. Some of the monsters were already making provocative gestures or faces at you. So much for subtlety.

“Mmm~ That was good. Where were we? Oh, right! The alcohol! I hear Zipangu has some exquisite brews!” said Sabekar.

“That we do, your majesty.” Said a jurou-gumo. She strode to the front of the crowd with her husband in tow.

“Wonderful! Lead the way.” Said Sabekar.

The crowd cheered for the princess as they parted for her, their pockets laden with opulent gifts. Whatever magic was in her voice broke as she walked away and you quickly dashed to her side again.

“Princess Sabekar, it’s been an honor and a privilege to be in your presence. I owe your mother my life, and I shall endeavor to pay her back properly one day. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your families timely intervention.”

Sabekar stared at you. “Huh? You’re leaving?”

“I am.”

Sabekar gave you a knowing smile. “You’re that eager to find her, eh?~”

You pursed your lips.

“Ah, I get it. Anonymous of Earth, it has been a pleasure to have you in my company. Good luck on your quest. And come visit when you find a wife! We can all celebrate!”

You clasped her hand and gave a quick bow. She gave you a knowing nod, and you scurried through the throng of monsters gathering to watch the princess as she went.

~~~~~~~

First things first: get supplies. No matter how far away a ryu was, you were going to need provisions and supplies to get you there. Nefkara had given you quite a hefty sum, so money wouldn’t be an issue when it came to the procurement of your gear.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can buy travel supplies?” you asked a lamia.

The snake-woman gave you a bewildered look. “Supp-lies?”

“Yes, travel supplies.” You said.

She stared at you. “Oh! That way. A few blocks.” She said, pointing up the street.

“Thank you.” you nodded. 

Her misunderstanding and ambiguous directions didn’t bode well for you. Of all the trinkets to be left behind in Apliseline, the most pragmatic had been your trusty amulet of articulation. Your Common was all but fluent at this point, but you didn’t speak a word of Zipangunese. One of the diplomats on board had promised to teach you some. The lesson started out well enough, but then the liquor came and she spent the rest of the night trying to teach you obscenities. The lamia’s misunderstanding wasn’t necessarily damning of the whole island, but it was a firm reminder that you would have to choose your words carefully to avoid further misunderstandings.

Passing various shops, you peeked in from underneath your hood to see what each sold. Food, liquor, furniture, pottery… None of these looked like a travel store. They were usually so easy to find; spackled with eye-catching signs of all languages and symbols to attract as many travelers as possible. You only saw a scant few shops that had any Common at all. You paused in front of a bookstore. A port city like this was bound to have an eclectic collection of texts. And you were going to need something to pass the time on the road. Might as well spend your down time learning how to speak the language. It would be beyond embarrassing to reach a ryu only to be completely inarticulate.

You fumbled with the door for a second trying to figure out how to open it, and slid it aside. The interior of the shop was musty and dim. Shelves were lined with books of every shape and size, somehow organized into category by the tiny Zipangunese plaques on the shelves. Smoke mingled with the scent of the aged pages. It was a relaxing scent; good books and good herbs. You imagined yourself in a smoking jacket in front of a large fire thumbing through the latest publication. On second thought, that probably wasn’t your fate…

“Ah! A foreigner enters my shop. What wares can I get for you, handsome?”

A small raccoon woman grinned at you. Oh no.

“My! Aren’t you something. From where do you hail, stranger?” she said, cocking an eyebrow at you.

You pulled your cloak down lower around your face and tried to change the subject. “Here and there. Do you have any books that can help me learn Zipangunese? Novice level.”

The danuki blew smoke from her kiseru and leaned over her counter to try and see your face. You twisted to the side. 

She snorted and shuffled out from behind her counter. “Shy are we? Let me see what I can find…”

You slunk into a corner of the bookshop to inspect some of the various tomes as the danuki muttered to herself. Every book you pulled off the shelf was in Zipangunese. There must be SOMETHING here you could read…

“Interested in a cookbook?” asked the danuki.

“Huh?” you asked.

She pointed to the book in your hand.

“Oh! No. Maybe. Do you have any in common?” you asked. Getting a small book of recipes might not be a bad idea. If you were going to be in the mountains for weeks at a time, you might as well learn how to feed yourself with more than just boiled mushrooms and charred game.

“I think I have one or two. Strange accent you have. You say you’ve done your share of travel?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your name?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The danuki looked at you impassively. “Oh? It doesn’t?”

You thought about leaving then and there. This wasn’t good. There must be other stores in town. Nothing in here was a necessity.  
“Fine. Keep your secrets. It’s of no consequence to me.” Said the danuki with a dismissive wave.

You breathed a sigh of relief. Causing a scene was the last thing you wanted to do.

“I take it you read on your travels, yes?” asked the danuki.

“When I can.” You replied.

“I envy you. You must have been able to read so many wondrous things during your journeys. All those different places, all those libraries and churches, teaming with knowledge. I do so love when I can acquire rare and unique books.”

You thought about your time in the Chiropta castle. The massive library that seemed to span into oblivion. An unlife’s worth of information packed into those endless shelves. And you had barely cracked one book.

“Have you ever been to Admaz?”

You stiffened. The danuki was facing away from you, hunched over a low shelf running her finger along the spines of the books as she went.

“There’s a school there. A college. They printed one of my favorite works.”

“Can’t say I’m familiar with the place.” You lied. Should have left when you had the chance…

“Do you know what that book is?” asked the danuki.

“I suppose it’s probably not a physics publication.”

“Far from it. You see, this college was blessed with a visitor. A strange human. A being from another world with mystical properties. An enigma. The college published a book about him. Though, I hesitate to call it a book. The volume itself is hardly more than a pamphlet, but the information contained within is downright fascinating. Language, customs, fashion, philosophies… I’ve read that book many times.”

The danuki turned around, book in hand. ‘How to speak Zipangunese: a primer.’ She sneered at you and spoke in broken English: “Isn’t dat inrestin?” 

You glowered at her. Clearly the jig was up. The first shop you set foot in had to be the one run by the earth-aboo raccoon. Just your luck.

“How much for the book?” you growled.

“This old thing? Why, I don’t know if I could put a price on it.” Said the danuki.

“How much.”

The danuki took a hit from her pipe and looked you over. Here it comes. The lecherous grin, the ‘your body, ufufu,’ the groping attempt… It was all so tiresome.

“For you? One poem.”

You balked. “Excuse me?”

She took on a more serious demeanor. “Let’s drop the charade, Anonymous of Earth. We both know who you are, and we both know why you’re here. I’m not going to try and swindle you; I hear enough news from the rest of the world to know that buildings monsters try to keep you in have a bad habit of getting extemporaneous renovations. I know better than to try and threaten you.”

“Could have fooled me.” You said.

“Bah! That was just teasing. A bachelor like you is going to get torn to pieces in Zipangu if you can’t handle coquettishness.” Said the danuki.

“So, you want a poem in exchange for that book?” you said. Something about this deal seemed a little too good to be true.

“Precisely. It needn’t be long, and I’ll let you pick the subject matter.”

“I fail to see how you stand to profit off this bargain.” You said, folding your arms.

“As I said, I’m not just a merchant, I’m a collector. Having a one-of-a-kind poem written by an extradimensional being would be more valuable as a collector’s item or an asset if I needed to sell it. Oh, but do be a dear and leave a translation on the back, if you would.”

She had a point. Petropa had tried to sell one of the bills in your wallet to recoup some of the losses she had incurred capturing you. You managed to convince her not to sell it after a considerable amount of begging, but you knew she stood to make a mint selling the bill to another noble. Good thing vampires were suckers for groveling.

“Fine.”

The danuki’s face lit up. “Wonderful! I’ll go fetch the parchment.”

You flipped through the book she had picked for you. Sentence structure, vocabulary, common phrases, and a table of all the common symbols in Zipangunese. Perfect.

“Here we are.” Said the danuki, placing a piece of paper on the counter.

“This better not be some secret contract.” You said.

“Worry not, I promise you this is just an ordinary blank page.”

“Hmph. Anything in particular you had in mind?” you asked, dipping the quill into the ink.

“If you’re strapped for ideas, perhaps you could write of your first impressions of Zipangu.” Said the danuki.

“I can do that.”

‘Solemn summits stand stoic in a wasteland of waves. Silver mist on sacred slopes concealed the magic glades.

Land of guile, trick and wile, enchanted island land. The thing I fear is not the club but the vixen’s slight-of-hand.

My journey all but ended, my lover all but found. All that remains is to keep myself, lest I become unwound.’

You put the quill down. It would have been best to omit the last section, but you doubted that it would cause any problems.

The danuki looked it over. “Hmm. Interesting. Would you be so kind as to leave a translation?”

You bit your lip. Would a fake translation be enough to fool her? Probably not. It would be better to leave an ambiguous interpretation of the text. You blew onto the paper to dry the ink and scribbled out a short interpretation of the poem.

“Wonderful. This is a fine piece.” Said the danuki.

“Great.” You said. You threw the book into your pack and headed for the door.

“Oh, Mr. Human.” Called the danuki. She waggled a cookbook at you. “Free of charge, for being such a good sport about everything.”  
“Free?” you said skeptically.

The danuki frowned and blew smoke at you. “Yes, free. A young man like yourself should be taking care of himself. Just promise me you won’t starve yourself, wherever you’re headed.”

You took the cookbook. Couldn’t hurt.

“Where are you headed? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“That’s my business I’m afraid. Good day.”

You hurried out of the shop before the danuki could try to set anymore hooks into you. Something about her made your skin crawl. She hadn’t made a move on you, but there was something undeniably sinister about her.

Standing at an intersection you looked for an adventuring shop. Time to kit up.

~~~~~~~

This was it. ‘Expeditions, Adventures, Provisions and Weapons!’ proclaimed a sign out front. You hoped that this was one of the guild-less establishments. Nothing worse than having to fork over a huge chunk of cash for guild fees the second you set foot inside.  
Humans and monsters milled about near the door as you slid inside. Good to see them getting along so well. And other humans were always a good buffer against monsters. The more men there were, the lower your chance of getting snagged.

A few monsters looked up from their drinks as you entered. Pulling your hood lower, you stuck to the wall and sidled over to the counter. The cyclops behind the bar/service counter (it seemed that anything that was sold slid over this greasy surface) asked you something in Zipangunese.

“Do you speak Common?” you asked.

She grunted. “My mistake, stranger. Aren’t you a little small to be in here? If you’re here for anything but a wife, I suggest you turn around.”

“Never mind that. I need trail supplies. Food, a tent, spare clothes, and maps.”

The cyclops gave you a worried look. “Human, I don’t know what land you come from, but Zipangu is a harsh mistress. The roads are safe and the people kind, but I urge you not to stray from the beaten path.”

“I know what I’m in for. Can you help me or not?” you said firmly.

The cyclops sighed. “Where are you going?”

“I uhh… I don’t really have a set destination in mind.”

The cyclops glared at you. “Are you trying to waste my time, foreigner?”

“No! I- Listen,” you leaned farther over the bar. “Is there a ryu nearby? A single one?”

“Ryus are mostly solitary. They don’t form packs.” Said the Cyclops.

“That’s not what I meant. Are there any ryu nearby that are unwed?”

The cyclops stood up. She gave you a knowing smile. “Ahh. I see how it is. You must be very dedicated with your ‘worship’ to come all this way. Not many foreigners make it this far. Even fewer reach the mountains.”

“I’m not most foreigners.” You said.

The cyclops was unimpressed by your boast. “If I had a coin for every time I’ve heard that phrase, I’d own a castle.”

“I’m serious.”

“Mmm hmm. Fools like you are the reason Zipangu is in the state its in. Lilith knows how many ushis are spawned because of hubris like that.”

“What do you mean ‘the state its in?’ I haven’t seen anything too damning yet.” You said.

The cyclops raised her eyebrow. “You came all this way, and you don’t have any idea what’s going on? How did you get this far?”

You felt your face redden. “This is pointless! Are you going to help me, or shall I find somewhere else to take my business?”

The cyclops uttered a defeated sigh and called for her husband to fetch her some maps. A small man emerged from a back room carrying an armful of furled paper.

“If you’re looking for a ryu, the best place you can look is in the Valley of Storms.” Said the Cyclops tapping a wide valley in the middle of the island.

“The Valley of Storms…” you muttered to yourself.

“As the name suggests, ryus have made their home there for millennia. When a daughter is old enough to leave her mother’s shrine, many opt to move farther down the valley.”

“Perfect. I’ll take it.” You said.

“Not so fast, foreigner. The Valley may be home to the most ryus, but you’ll be hard pressed for an audience with them. They’ve got a veritable army of suitors constantly petitioning for their hand in marriage. Kings, nobles, merchants, wizards, every upper echelon of society gathers there in a bid to marry ryus. In your case, it might be better to take a less traveled path.”

She unrolled another map. This one was covered in small red marks, mostly falling along the coast or in the mountains.

“Fortunately, ryus aren’t exclusive to the Valley of Storms. Plenty of other summits to choose from. No idea if they’re wed or not, though. The gods don’t usually come down from their shrines that often. And unlike the Valley, there will only be one ryu per shrine. If she’s spoken for, it may be decades before another is born.”

“I’ll take them both.” You said.

The cyclops’ eye widened. “Slow down there, foreigner. Maps aren’t cheap. You’re going to need quite a sum to afford-“

You pulled a handful of coins out of your pouch and stacked them on the map. You weren’t sure what the exchange rate was between Kyriavalissian staters and Zipangunese mon was, but Nefkara had assured you that it would be sufficient to buy you anything you needed. The cyclops eyed the coins and inhaled sharply.

“Well, seems as if I was mistaken about you. Clearly you have some friends in high places.” She said.

You slid the maps over and traced your finger along the roads. It seemed like most of the ryu temples were well off the beaten path. Roads tended to run through the valleys and passes of Zipangu; ryus were primarily located in the mountains with only a few blips on the coast. A few smaller paths ran through the mountains, adjacent to the shrines.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Said the cyclops somberly.

“Huh?” You looked up from the map.

“Foreigner, if you’re planning to wed a ryu, stay away from the mountains. That’s Kamaka territory. If you want to get to the Valley of Storms, travel along the coast. A single man won’t make it an eighth of the way taking the high roads.” Said the cyclops.

“What is the Kamaka?” you asked.

“You should have done some research about this place instead of coming to chase fairytales. The Kamaka shogunate is the great thorn in the side of all Zipangu. And soon to be the rest of the world for that matter…” grumbled the cyclops.

“They’re the local rulers?” you asked.

“They most certainly are not!” said the cyclops, clenching her fist. “They’re a bloodthirst band of marauders. What started as a small gang of bandits swelled into a paramilitary force, and then into a pirate fleet that plunders up and down the west coast. Every day, they grow bolder. Now the bastards are even striking out to loot villages in the Mist Continent and beyond.”

“Why hasn’t anyone stopped them?” you asked.

The cyclops sighed. “This is a peaceful land. Many of the mamono here are content with their idyllic lives. They aren’t fighters. Once, a gang of militias gathered to try and strike them down. The shogun beat them back and followed them home to loot their village. And the shogun is very… generous to her allies. Moegara brings in hundreds of men to slake the thirst of her subjects, and distributes the rest to the villages on the fringes of her empire to butter them up. I hoped that the population boom would devolve into infighting as resources became scarce, but the shogun has managed to keep them unified.”

“Wow…” you said.

And here you were thinking that a rouge kunoichi dojo or errant shirohebi would be your biggest obstacle.

“Can you outline where the shogun’s territory is?” you asked.

“Roughly. Some of these areas are contested. And there are still pockets of resistance within the ‘established’ borders of Moegara’s empire. I heard that some of her raiders ran into an extended family of ushi-onis trying to track down a runaway boy. Didn’t end well for them.” Chuckled the cyclops as she used a fine red paintbrush to denote the region the raiders were active in. You tensed as her brush passed over the roads you had considered taking.

“There. That may be a bit generous, but it’s best not to take any chances. It’s impossible to say how far her influence has truly spread.”

“Thank you. Is there anything else you can tell me about Moe-uhh… whatever her name is?” you asked.

“She’s an oni. Bigger than most and smarter than any other I’ve ever heard of. Her followers are mostly club-swinging barbarians, but don’t let that fool you. They’re well disciplined. As they’ve spread into the village, they’ve begun to bolster their ranks with magicians and incorporate minor stateswomen from towns to help manage the war machine. If you’ve got the skill, you can rise through the ranks and live comfortably.”

“Nice to hear that she’s an egalitarian…” you said.

The cyclops chuckled. “Hardly. I don’t know what hand of fate touched Moegara, but she’s also been blessed with more than her fair share of daughters. She may run the operation, but it’s her daughters that do the dirty work.”

You looked at the massive red ring radiating out from the dot labeled Kamaka. For all the cyclops’ doomsaying and foreboding, you found it hard to imagine that this warlord would be any more than a nuisance to you. Armies could be easily avoided. You were far more warry of individual inari or a small squad of kunoichi than you were a horde of vagabonds.

“So, what will it be, foreigner? Are you going to make a break for a ryu, or are you going to stay here and rethink your options? I have rooms for rent, if you’re interested.” Said the cyclops.

You pushed the pile of coins toward her. “I didn’t come this far to sleep.”

She smiled and handed you the map. “I like the way you think, foreigner. Going to the Valley, then?”

“I suppose I am.” You said, inspecting the distance to the Valley of Storms.

“Good people in that valley. Crops grow there better than anywhere else on the island. Hell, the whole world for all I know. I suppose that’s what happens when half your neighbors are gods. Hmm…”

She looked at you and frowned.

“What?” you asked.

“It’s just that… You don’t look very strong… No offence, foreigner.” She said.

“We’ve been over this. I’m not worried-“

“About some eccentric bachelorettes ruining your wedding, I know. But it’s going to take more than a month on foot to reach the Valley. The provisions alone would fill that bag you’re carrying.”

You gulped. A month? That was dangerously close to the term limit Voso had given you on your contract. And if you didn’t make it in time, that meant you were going to be plastered with a mana-marker for almost half the species on the island. Which meant that your chances of finding a ryu were effectively zero, unless you were right in front of one.

“Forget the food. I’ll take what I can carry and buy the rest from the town I pass through.” You said.

The cyclops frowned. “If you insist. Just don’t starve to death out there. Now, how about a tent?”

~~~~~~~~

After an hour and a fierce bout of haggling, you were ready to strike out.

“That should do it. I have to say, I like the way you bargain, stranger. Not many men have the guts to haggle like that with me.”  
You adjusted your pack. “Always a pleasure. Thanks for all the gear.”

She nodded. “I don’t know what kind of training you have or where you came from, but I get the feeling that you’re tougher than you look. Be safe out there, okay? And come back when you find your wife! I’ll give you a drink on the house.”

You nodded. Taking another stater, you slid it to her. “If anyone asks about a human like me, don’t say anything. I’m on a tight schedule, and I’d prefer not to have any extraneous delays.”

She cocked her brow and took the coin. “Err, alright. I don’t normally discuss clientele, but if you insist. Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay the night here? It’s already past noon. And the rates are very reasonable, if I do say so myself.”  
You shook your head and adjusted your cloak. “I can’t. Thank you for everything, I’ll be sure to recommend you to anyone in need of supplies.”

You grabbed the rest of your belongings off the counter and wandered out the door. A few minutes later, you were standing in the gateway of the city. The sprawling Zipangu countryside rolled into the distance. A breeze bearing the sweet floral scent of the lush land tickled your nose. This was it! Onward, to your wife!

~~~~~~~~~

“Shogun!” squawked a harpy.

Moegara grimaced at the shrill cry of the bird. How many times did she have to tell them not to bother her in her home? The harpy landed in the courtyard of the mansion and stood in front of the massive oni. Moegara picked up her husband and set him aside.  
“Must I remind every one of you peons not to disturb me here?” she growled.

The harpy flinched. “I-I understand, Moe- Shogun, but there is urgent news!”

Moegara groaned and poured herself another cup of sake. If this wasn’t worth her time, she was going to pluck this glorified chicken.  
“Get on with it then.” Said Moegara.

“One day ago, a ship docked at a southern port city. The Spirit of the Dunes.” Said the harpy.

“And?”

“It’s a royal ship. Belonging to Pharaoh Nefkara.”

“Hmm… A Pharaoh huh?” said Moegara.

“Err, no. Princess Sabekar was the one on the ship. She’s visiting various costal cities in the east to celebrate her marriage and to strengthen the bond between her new empire and Zipangu.”

“Feh! I don’t recall her ever sending ME an invitation. Still, pirating a royal ship is just inviting trouble. For now.” Moegara took a sip of her sake. “I suppose we could try to ransom her. No, what am I saying? Same problem. I’d need to enlist the help of an apophis to fight off Nefkara’s army.”

“There’s more! The boat was carrying someone else. A human. Apparently, some kind of powerful mage.”

“Are you dull? If he came with the princess, then it’s still too risky to kidnap him.” Said Moegara.

“He is no longer in the company of the princess, Shogun.”

“Oh?”

“The man is apparently looking for a wife.”

Moegara perked up. “A wife, you say?”

“Yes, shogun.”

Moegara frowned. “Where did you learn all this?”

“The human was apparently in contact with a merchant in the town he disembarked in. She claims that she has information for sale and asks for an audience with you.” Said the harpy.

Moegara laughed. “So does every other pomp and pauper on this half of the island! What makes her so special? That fool told you everything there is to know already: there’s a mage bumbling about southern Zipangu. Let the girls know; I care little who finds him.”

“She insisted that this human was special, Shogun. And claims that any audience will be worth your time.”

“My time is VERY valuable.” Said Moegara.

The harpy fidgeted. “She also said you would say that. And she offered me this as proof of her word.”

The harpy handed Moegara a gold coin.

“A Kyriavalissian stater. Hmph. Her offer is still weak. Mages often come to this land seeking enlightenment or power. I highly doubt that this one is any different. Tell her that I accept her invitation and expect to be THOROUGHLY compensated for this interruption if I deem her information to be worthless.”

“Yes, Shogun.” Said the harpy. She took off into the sky and flew south.

“That was uncharacteristic of you.” Said Moegara’s husband, gently rubbing her thigh.

“What can I say? You put me in an altruistic mood. Besides, that merchant is going to be bringing a whole chest of coins if she knows what’s good for her. A wizard… Hah! As if that’s anything special. One of the lieutenants caught some wandering monk just last month.”  
“She sounded certain that this was something special.”

“Bah. That’s what every one of these unctuous fools trying to garner my favor say. And every treasure, human, or lead they give me always ends the same way: in disappointment. I’ve no reason to believe this will be any different.”

~~~~~~~~

“Oh, mighty Shogun! It is truly an honor t-“

“Spare me the drivel, sycophant. Either you give me useful information in the next minute, or you pay me for the privilege of my time.”

“Of course, Shogun. I know that you’re a busy woman, so I’ve taken the liberty of preparing THIS for you.” Said the danuki, flourishing a scroll.

One of Moegara’s attendants brought the scroll to Moegara. The oni unrolled it and looked it over.

“And what exactly am I reading?” said Moegara.

“A dossier, Shogun. All pertinent information I could compile on the human.”

Moegara hummed. The information was interesting, but it read like a fantasy story.

“Do you expect me to believe this?” asked Moegara angrily.

“I admit, his story seems rather implausible without proof.” Said the book merchant.

“Implausible is putting it lightly.” Growled Moegara.

“Which is why I have also brought proof of this human’s existence and purported powers!”

The danuki rummaged through her bag and pulled out a stack of books and pamphlets. Moegara gestured to one of the crow-tengu to take the pile.

“These seals are authentic, Shogun. The writing style seems consistent too.” Said the tengu, looking through some of the pamphlets.  
Moegara ignored her. The more she read about this human, the more enthralled she became. Driven, clever, and most importantly, immensely powerful. And he wasn’t even an incubus yet.

“I see. And you claim this… ‘Anonymous’ is here in Zipangu.” Said Moegara.

“I know him to be.” Smiled the danuki.

Moegara finished reading the synopsis of the human. Good men were always in demand in the Kamaka shogunate. The best men, the royals who they captured, were married to Moegara’s daughters to gain claims to other empires. By ruthlessly interjecting her own bloodline into royal succession, her several of her daughters had claims to a few minor Mist Continent thrones. But Moegara wasn’t sure if this human was marriage material. A strong wizard meant strong grandchildren, and an important link in the successional chain. But this man was by all accounts no more than a powerful vagabond. Without even a clod of land to his name, it might be better for her unmarried daughters to wait until another prince could be captured.

“I see that you are still hesitant.” Said the danuki.

“Claims are one thing. Backing them is another.” Said Moegara.

“Indeed. I understand your apprehension. I understand that there are only so many daughters to be wed off; a woman of your status can’t afford to have them marry just any peasant! But I assure you, with this man on your side, you’ll have enough power to conquer the entire west side of the island!” said the danuki.

Moegara glared at her. “Don’t think you can fool me with such flattery, merchant.”

“Deceiving you is the last thing I would wish for, Shogun. If you still have reservations about this human, why not track him down? See for yourself the power he wields. If you are underwhelmed, I swear to pay you double what you are owed for the inconvenience.” Said the danuki.

Moegara eyed the danuki warily. She hated these creatures. No matter what she did, it ALWAYS seemed like they got the better end of the deal. And they always had something up their sleeve…

“I think I shall. You said that he was in the port city in the south?” said Moegara, trying to gauge the danuki’s reaction.

“I did.”

“Hmm. Torquatus, send a-“

“And he was.”

Moegara stared at the impudent danuki.

“You, little, weasel. If you EVER think to be clever like that again, I’ll crush you where you stand. Understood?” said Moegara, grabbing the handle of her club.

“Of course, Shogun! I meant no disrespect!” said the danuki.

Moegara kept her hand on the hilt of her club. She was tempted to smack the danuki a couple of times just to beat that smug grin off her face. But that would have to be done after every morsel of useful information was collected. And one could never be certain when that was with a danuki.

“Unfortunately, the human is no longer in the city. He left the day he arrived, apparently in quite the hurry.” Said the danuki.  
“And how long ago was that?” asked Moegara.

“Four days ago.”

The monsters of Moegara’s court muttered amongst themselves.

“Well, he has to be heading north. And since my forces haven’t seen him yet, that means he’s traveling on the east side of the island. Catching him will be a simple task; all we need to do is figure out how far a human can move in a day and patrol the roads where we expect him to be.” Said Moegara.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Shogun. That man is trained at Valisias Academy. And he purchased camping supplies as well. He’s more than prepared to survive in the wilderness if need be. You can’t count on roadblocks to catch this human.”  
Moegara stroked her chin. That certainly did complicate things. Most nobles were easy pickings because they stuck to the roads. If the information the danuki had provided was true, this Anonymous character would be more than capable of traversing the countryside without use of roads. And if he caught wind of soldiers coming, then he would go into hiding for certain.

“But fear not! For I have a solution most elegant to find this human.” Said the danuki.

Moegara grit her teeth. Of course, she did. Even in her own court, this damnable merchant still managed to swindle her.

“Let’s see it then.” Growled Moegara.

“Behold!” said the danuki, flourishing a compass.

“I take it that points to Anonymous?” said Moegara.

“In a sense, yes. It points to one of the possessions I gave to him. One that I doubt he will part with. The compass itself is dormant, but when imbued with magic, will point towards Anon.”

“Who?”

“Ah, forgive me. That is the name the human most often goes by.” Said the danuki.

“I see.”

“I must advise that you not overuse the spell either. Anon may catch on to the enchanted property of the book if used too often.” Explained the raccoon girl.

“You sold him an enchanted book?” asked Moegara.

“It was more of a gift to him. As far as he knows, it is merely a recipe book.” Said the danuki.

Moegara chuckled. “You danuki really are unscrupulous, aren’t you?”

The danuki smirked. “The way I see it, I’m just prioritizing my more important clientele.”

“So you are. Now, about my fee…”

Moegara sighed. “Out with it then.”

“For the information about the human I’ve collected and arranged, and the compass, I posit that a sum of twenty thousand mon should suffice.”

The courtiers joined Moegara as she roared with laughter.

“Surely you jest! The time that trinket would save isn’t worth a quarter of that sum. The same goes for the dossier you gave me.”  
“That man is most certainly worthy of marrying one of your daughters, you will see. The way I see it, you’re paying the dowry for him.” Said the danuki.

Moegara snorted. “He isn’t yours to give. Five thousand will suffice. Half now, and half if the human is all you have made him out to be.”

“Twelve thousand.” Said the danuki.

“Five. Thousand.” Hissed Moegara.

“Ten thousand.”

“FIVE TH-“

“Eight thousand! Final offer.” Said the danuki.

Moegara thought for a moment. She smirked at the danuki. “Alright, eight thousand it is. Torquatus, see that our friend here gets paid.”

The crow tengu bowed and went to fetch the money.

The danuki's tail waggled happily as she watched the tengu leave. “Wonderful! In the meantime, I’ll teach one of your mages the spell to activate the compass.”

Moegara watched as the raccoon taught the spell to several of the attending mages. Just the thought of this shyster getting the better of her made her blood boil. Being treated like a fool in one’s own court wasn’t just humiliating; it could weaken an entire empire if it was severe enough. Moegara smiled. She knew how to work these merchants. This wasn’t the first con-woman to try and fleece her. Even the most elaborate scheme could be undone when force was applied in the right places…

Torquatus soon returned, accompanied by a minotaur carrying a chest full of coin. Moegara watched the danuki open it and gleefully inspect her prize.

“You’ve been most helpful. Thank you.” Said Moegara.

The danuki beamed. “A pleasure to serve, Shogun. And I hope that you will keep me in mind for any future business needs. I assure you, I will prove to be a valuable partner in any mercantile matters.”

Moegara smiled sweetly at her. “Oh, I’ll keep you in mind. You certainly are a crafty one. What is your name?”

“Vivern, Shogun.” Said the danuki.

“I see. Do you know why I’m going to keep you in mind, Vivern?” asked Moegara in saccharine tone.

Vivern’s brow furrowed a bit. Moegara sneered as the danuki’s smug countenance cracked.

“Why, I hope it is because you wish to deal with me in the future, Shogun.” Said Vivern.

“No, merchant.” Moegara stood up from her throne and slowly walked towards the tiny danuki. “I’m afraid my court doesn’t have any room for back-biting, underhanded, cowards such as yourself. No, I’m going to remember you for a different reason…”

Vivern took a step back.

“I’m going to keep you in mind incase I find this human. Because if he really is as powerful as your books claim him to be, and for your sake I hope he is, then I’ll marry him to one of my daughters. Do you know what that will make him?”

“A prince?” asked Vivern softly.

“Oh, he’ll be so much more than a prince.” Said Moegara, now towering over the danuki. Vivern scarcely passed her waist. “He’ll be my son-in-law. And I don’t take kindly to treacherous vermin like you cheating my family.”

Vivern stumbled backward over the chest. “Y-you wouldn’t hurt me! After all I’ve given you? You can’t cheat me like this!” she squeaked.

“Cheat you? Oh, no. I wouldn’t DREAM of it.” Said Moegara slamming a foot down on top of the chest. “I’m not going to lay a finger on you. You’re free to take this money and leave.”

“T-Then leave I shall!” said Vivern with a nervous chuckle. She tried to tug the chest out from Moegara’s foot, but the oni put more of her weight onto the already cumbersome box.

“But I will be telling my son-in-law about the book seller who wronged him.” Said Moegara.

Vivern’s face paled. “What?! Why?!”

“Because he’ll be my family. And I don’t like people who fuck with my family. Surely if it was the innocent act you make it out to be, you can just explain it to him, no? Ahh, but then again…” Moegara looked at the scroll again and shook her head. She winced and tutted a few times. “…He DOES have a history of blasting people he doesn’t like, doesn't he? Says that he’s traveled halfway around the world to try and find a wife. I wonder how far he would travel for revenge?”

Moegara kicked the chest. It toppled backward, spilling its contents over the stones of the courtyard. Vivern righted the chest and frantically scooped the coins back in.

“You bastard! You won’t get away with this! The other merchants will hear about this! Don’t think you can intimidate me like this an-“

“The other merchants won’t do a damn thing. They want my business, and they know that I have the contacts to replace them if they get as insolent as you. You are replaceable, don’t ever forget that. As for the first claim you made, yes, I am being a bit of a bastard today. So, I’ll let that slide. But if you EVER say that to me again…”

Moegara slammed a fist down onto the coin Vivern was reaching for. The danuki shrieked as the oni’s massive fist crushed a hole in the ground. Moegara pulled the bent coin off her knuckle and flicked it at the shivering danuki. “I'll make certain that you're reminded of your place in MY empire.”

Vivern bared her teeth at the shogun, but was powerless to do anything about her humiliating predicament. Moegara sat back down on her throne and watched the tiny woman lug the chest out of the court.

“I think that spectacle alone was worth eight thousand mon.” said Moegara.

The court laughed. Moegara smiled. This truly was the finest court in the land. Every monster here had their place and pulled their weight. None of those pompous fops that infested the halls of other palaces. Everyone here earned their place with the strength of their sword arm and the unflinching loyalty of their spirit. Someday, it would be the court that ruled all of Zipangu.

“Torquatus, call my darling daughters. I have a new task for them…”


	45. Chapter 45

“Add meat to bed of herbs, spice to taste…”

You sprinkled a pinch of seasoning onto the slab of meat and dumped it into the bowl of veggies and mushrooms. Looked pretty good! You carved off a piece of the rabbit haunch and took a bite.

Burnt again.

You grimaced and cut into the rest of the meat. Bone dry and brown all the way through.

“Could have sworn I had it that time…” you muttered.

It had been four days since you struck out into the wilderness of Zipangu, and you were loving every second of it. Bountiful forests, beautiful vistas, and friendly monsters as far as the eye could see. The whole island seemed to be pervaded with an idyllic aura. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but Zipangu seemed more relaxed than some of the “dark” demon realms you had lived in. You had a sense of comfort here that Admaz and Apliseline lacked. It was less earnest here. That fiery lust that had haunted you in those realms was now a mere smolder. You found it easy to enjoy the wonders of the island without thinking of fat monster titties. As much.

You unfolded the map and carefully spread it out. Looks like you were nearing the first ryu shrine. You traced your finger down the river you had just passed. It snaked all the way up to the low peaks of the central mountain range, passing the first dot that indicated the presence of a water wurm.

“Hope she’s single…” you muttered.

~~~~~~~~

A blue oni sauntered into her mother’s palace. Guards and statesmen alike bowed to her as she walked to the royal courtyard. She admired the new artwork that lined the walls. Moegara certainly wasn’t afraid to splurge. A massive painting in traditional Zipangunese style took up most of a wall, depicting a triumphant shogun leading her army to victory against a routed foe as her husband clung to her. As flamboyant as the commissioner herself.

Nokoribi eyed a chipped sword hanging above a small plaque. Of course, Moegara’s palace would be nothing without the shogun’s expansive collection of trophies. There was enough armor and weapons in these corridors alone to supply an army. She read the inscription of the latest addition.

“Taken from Paladin Nahco, now husband to lieutenant Hynobius”

Fools. It never ceased to amaze Nokoribi that there were always more humans dumb enough to try and attack her mother’s lands. They never seemed to learn their lesson no matter how many ships failed to return. No matter. It saved them the trip to go find more men. Nokoribi entered the court and approached Moegara’s throne.

“Mother, you called?” said Nokoribi.

“Indeed.” Said Moegara.

“What is it?”

“Something has come to my attention. There is a human on this island. A mage. Purported to be very powerful. I want you to investigate this claim.” Said Moegara.

“Shall I eliminate him?” asked Nokoribi.

“No. This man is single.” Said Moegara.

“Oh?” said Nokoribi.

“Indeed. I want you to find this human and determine if this mage is as strong as he is alleged to be.”

“And if he is?”

“You may take him if he is. If he is not to your liking, bring him here. He will make a useful bargaining chip.” Said Moegara.

“Then I shall find him at once.” Bowed Nokoribi.

“I won’t lie to you, Nokoribi. The court scholars are divided on whether or not this…” Moegara squinted at the scroll Vivern had given her. “… ‘Anon’ is truly dangerous or not. But you are one of my only daughters gifted in magic, and most importantly, you are here now. Your sisters will be in Kamaka shortly. If you decide that you’d like to keep him for yourself, I suggest that you claim him before they arrive.”

Nokoribi nodded. “It shall be done, mother. Where may I find this ostensible mage?”

Moegara smiled. Nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to spur her daughters to action. They all knew the rules; the girl who completes the mission gets the reward. Moegara tried her best to spread the loot evenly amongst them, but it was undeniable that some of her progeny were more gifted than others at certain tasks. Nokoribi was a talented mage, and more importantly, an exemplary statesman. As loath as Moegara was to keep her from her duties managing the shogunate, this girl desperately needed to find a husband. And who should suite her better than a fellow magician? The granddaughters they bore together would no doubt be powerful mages as well.

“You will find the human with this.” Said Moegara, showing Nokoribi the enchanted compass. “Anon- Anonymous? Whatever his name is, he is in possession of an enchanted item linked to this compass. You need only follow it.”

One of the court mages brought it to Nokoribi and taught her the spell. Nokoribi channeled a wisp of magic into the compass, and the needle snapped into position.

“Clever.” Mused Nokoribi.

“Time is of the essence. I want this man tamed or taken as soon as possible. He has come to this land in search of a wife, and I intend to acquiesce his desire.” Said Moegara.

Nokoribi smiled. “Don’t worry mother, this won’t take long.”

~~~~~~

The best laid plans of hinezumi and men often go awry. And your plans were more awry than normal.

It would seem that you had underestimated just how treacherous the mountains of Zipangu truly were. It would seem that the river you were following was not in fact a river, but a series of very steep waterfalls climbing up the mossy slopes towards the summit.

Your morning had been spent meandering through the overgrowth near the base of the mountain, flutily searching for any sort of entrance to the ryu’s temple. A tori, a set of stairs, shrine maidens, a donation box… Nothing. Just rocks and vegetation. So, scaling the cliff was the next logical progression. Using your magic, you had blinked and propelled yourself up one ledge at a time. It was exhausting work, but at least the view was nice. Propping yourself up against a mossy rock you took a few breaths and assessed your situation. Only a bit more to go.

You reached into your pack for a snack and paused. It looked like something was glowing. Rummaging around, you tried to find the source of the light. As you shuffled your journal to the side, you realized that it was just a trick of the light. Grabbing a piece of dried meat, you scarfed the morsel down and resealed your bag. You were going to have to be MUCH faster than this if you wanted to make it to the Valley of Storms before Voso’s mana-bomb popped. If the map was topographically accurate, this was a glorified foothill compared to the mountains surrounding the Valley. You wiped your hands on the moss and summoned a fresh invisible seesaw. Slamming down on the far end, you launched yourself up to the next jut in the cliff.

~~~~~

At long last, you had reached the top. You collapsed onto your knees next to the stream and took a long drink from the clear water. It was crisp and delicious with hints of minerals. Maybe the ryu’s powers made this river extra pure?

Only one way to find out.

According to the map, your destination should be around here somewhere. She was a ryu, so she had to be near the river, right? All you had to do was follow the water.

While the river burbled beside you, you took the opportunity to compose yourself. What were you going to say to the ryu when you found her? Hello? I’m here to marry you? What’s your sign?

Your foot slid and you recoiled. The soil of the mountain had given way to gravel. Looking around, you found yourself at the edge of some sort of garden. Brilliant white pea stones led to the river, where the water gently swirled in a shallow eddy that was purposefully protected from the current. Large stones formed a path into a well-manicured garden full of some of the most brilliant flowers you had ever laid eyes on. Brilliant petals of every color imaginable grew in clumps of alien shapes. A small Zipangunese style gazebo sat empty on one side of the garden, overlooking a small water feature brimming with lotuses.

Beyond the garden, a mansion stood in the wilderness. Only a small swath of forest had been cleared to make room for the sizable edifice. The building was expansive, but only a single story. It was clear by the immaculate state of the building that it was lived in, but the vines that hung from the eves were a testament to the age of the building. Strange, you had figured that it would be more… shrine-y.

Your breath hitched. This was it. This was IT. You looked at yourself in the reflection of the river. Passable. As good as it was going to get. If it came down to it, you could always play the roguish adventurer angle.

Oh geez, you were getting nervous! This was more stressful than you thought. Here you were, about to meet the woman with whom you would spend the rest of your life with, and you didn’t even know what to say!

You slowly walked along the stones through the garden. Deciding that you needed to make a good first impression, you ditched your pack in the gazebo. Best not to look THAT hoboish. Taking a deep breath, you stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the sliding door. Go time. Do or die. You jumped up and down a few times, shaking your hands. Time to marry th-

The door slid open. You jumped and tripped backward over one of the stones in the path, toppling over.

A bewildered ryu looked down at you. Her long black hair cascaded down around her milky shoulders, perfectly framing her stunning face. One of her green-scaled hands covered her mouth as it hung open in shock. Curiously, her horns weren’t bifurcated. They swept back and straight up, almost like an ibex. Meter after meter of serpentine body stretched out behind her, topped with a line of red fur.

{Who are you?! What are you doing here?!} she said, obviously frightened by your presence.

SHIT. Didn’t she ever get visitors up here?! Guess she must be in dire need of some worshipers. Still, this was promising. Time to see if that Zipangunese translation guide would pay off.

“Uhh… I am here to… see… you.” You choked out in your best Zipangunese.

The ryu looked at you like you had just pissed on her rug. Guess your pronunciation was a little rough…

“You don’t speak Zipangunese?” The ryu’s Common was slow and accented, but it was Common, nonetheless. 

Thank God. “No, sorry.” You said.

“Why are you here?! Who are you?!” said the ryu.

You stood up and bowed. “My name is Anonymous. I have traveled far and faced many hardship-“

{What the hell?!}

A man in an expensive looking robe appeared behind the ryu.

{I don’t know! I think he’s a foreigner…} said the dragon. He stepped in front of her and she hid behind him.

Your heart fell to the bottom of your stomach when you saw the man, but the embarrassment you felt after realizing that you had invaded someone’s garden and tried to solicit their wife sent your pride and dignity plummeting off the roof of the proverbial hell-in-a-cell into an announcer’s table.

“You! What the hell are you doing here?!” shouted the man.

“I was uhh… looking for a ryu shrine…” you stammered.

The ryu’s expression instantly brightened. Her husband however, remained stiff.

{Dear, he’s a pilgrim! Oh, it’s been so long since anyone has visited the shrine!}

{He’s not a pilgrim! He’s a thief! Look at him! He’s as filthy as he is shifty!}

{Dear, why don’t we just show him to the shrine? He’ll be on his way once he offers a prayer and we can go back to our tea.}

The man snorted. {How could he miss the shrine! It’s out front! There’s no way that he wandered all the way back here on accident!}

The ryu frowned and looked at you. Whatever they were saying, that wasn’t good.

“Are you a pilgrim?” asked the ryu.

“Of sorts, yes.” You said. It wasn’t entirely untrue; you were on a quest to visit ryu shrines.

“Then why are you in my garden? Hmm? Why aren’t you out front, at the shrine?” asked the man hotly.

You blinked. “There’s… a front to this place?”

Now it was the couple’s turn to stare in confusion. The man looked like he was about to blow a blood vessel, and his poor wife was beyond confused.

“YES, THERE IS A FRONT TO THIS PLACE!” roared the husband.

“{Calm down, dear.} Err… pilgrim? Where did you come from?” asked the ryu.

“Kyriavalissa.”

The man’s knuckles went white. The ryu’s lips pursed as she gave you a doleful, pitying look. This was not how you expected this to go…

“No, pilgrim. Which direction did you come from?” said the ryu, speaking very slowly and enunciating every syllable.

Oh no, they thought you were a retard. You were going to ask if she knew any other single ryus, but it was probably best to just cut your losses and jet after this debacle.

“That way. Up the cliff.” You said, pointing downriver.

The ryu looked at you, downriver, and back to you. “The cliff.”

“Yes.”

That did it. Claiming that you had scaled a cliff to enter this man’s precious garden must have pushed him over the edge. “DON’T THINK YOU CAN MOCK ME LIKE THIS IN MY OWN HOME!”

His hand glowed as he summoned a bolt of magic in it. Your Valisias training kicked in and you expertly deflected the shot into the gazebo. The wooden structure exploded into a cloud of splinters, macerating the unfortunate plants behind the structure. Zara would be proud.

“AAAAHHHH!” the man collapsed to his knees, clutching his face in his hands.

{DEAR! YOU CAN’T ATTACK A GUEST LIKE THAT!} shouted the ryu.

Serves him right. Who does he think he is, shooting at you like that? That loss of that gazebo was nothing short of karma. A grand, cosmic justice that-

Oh, wait, your stuff was in there. You sprinted over to the smoldering wood and used your magic to clear the debris. The angle of the blast had brought the wood down around the bag, but the blast itself had gone over the pack. The tent you had rolled up on top of the pack punctured and singed in a few places, but otherwise unharmed. A grand, cosmic justice indeed.

{He’s not a guest! He’s a curse!} wailed the man.

“I’m so sorry about that. I looked for a path, but I couldn’t find any way up! So, I scaled the cliff.” You quickly explained.

“Ahh…” said the ryu. “There’s a path on the western side of the slope…”

You could tell that despite being sympathetic to your ignorance and embarrassed by her husband’s discourtesy, she wasn’t exactly thrilled with your presence or the destruction of her garden. That did explain why you couldn’t find a path. This shrine was technically on the edge of the line denoting Kamaka Shogunate territory, and you weren’t keen to see just how far those borders extended.

“Oh. That uhh… I was told not to get too close to… yeah…” 

“I understand. It’s been a long time since a bachelor came from the west.” Said the ryu.

You nodded. This was beyond painful.

“Well, nice meeting you. Sorry about the mess. I’ll just…” you pulled out a few coins and left them on one of the decorative stones next to you. “…Leave these here and be on my way.”

“Don’t you want to see the shrine?” asked the ryu.

“No, I think it would be better if I was on my way. I’m on a tight schedule, and I have… somewhere to be. Maybe some other time.”

The ryu gave you a perplexed nod. You threw your pack over your shoulder and left the ryu and her grieving husband to mourn their plants.

~~~~~~~~

“AhhhhhhhHHHHHHH!”

There wasn’t a scream long or loud enough to cleanse your soul of that encounter. Truly this world was a cruel joke to punish you for the sins you committed on earth. You stood at the cliff you had come up to reach the ryu, moaning to yourself and dragging your face down with your hands.

{Goodness, that was quite a noise}

You turned around. A blue oni strutted out of the forest. Judging by her swagger and the club she was hefting, she meant business.  
“Hello there, human.” She said.

Even before the other monsters emerged from the brush to join her, you could tell the oni was no ordinary monster. She was tall, even by monster standards. Making armor for monsters this size was exorbitantly expensive, yet she wore panoply of light yellow Zipangunese armor. Every piece matched, down to her cute black tabis.

“You must be Anonymous.” Said the oni. 

You could just barely make out the top of her tusked menpo. For someone who knew who you were, she was quite aloof about the statement. Judging by the matching armor the oni’s cadre wore, you surmised that this must be the shogun you had heard about. In a way, this was fortunate for you. Getting her out of the picture now would remove the only serious threat to your journey. The soldiers certainly LOOKED intimidating, but upon closer inspection, almost every monster in her cohort was a “physical” type. An amazon, an ocelomeh, two salamanders, a hellhound… The same types of monsters you had spent months mopping the floor with in Valisias. Be it hubris or the Moegara’s decision to engage you without backup, this fight was already over.

“I’m not really in the mood for this. Can we try this again some other day?” you asked.

“I’m afraid not. Hmm…” The oni put her club down, resting both hands on the pommel in front of her. “You certainly are closer to our territory than I expected you to be. Which means that you must have made good time today. None of the soldiers mentioned you coming through the toll road through the mountains that provides access to the staircase leading to this shrine, either. Which must mean that you moved in a straight line allll the way up this cliff…”

You cocked an eyebrow. This wasn’t the usual “Oh ho ho, traveler! Prepare to be raped~” speech you were expecting. Something was up. The other soldiers hadn’t closed in on you, but they were slowly maneuvering into position, forming a semicircle that kept you at the cliff’s edge. If this oni was competent enough to use a show to get your attention while she trapped you, she was almost certainly smart enough to have archers waiting in the wings if things got messy. You adjusted your bag and used the movement to hide a quick hand motion that summoned a ward around you.

“…And that means you must be positively enervated.” Said Moegara.

“Congratulations. You figured out I went rock-climbing. I suppose this is the part where you tell me that “there’s no escape”, “you have no hope”, “surrender now and I’ll be gentle with you”… Tell me, which hackneyed line will it be today, shogun?” you said.

The oni cocked her head. “Shogun? I’m flattered by the mistake, but that title belongs to my mother. I am Nokoribi, governor of Kamaka.”

She gave you a polite bow. It was strange to see her corporate stiffness juxtaposed by the flamboyant armor she wore.

“I see, apologies for the confusion. Now, shall we get to fighting?” you asked.

“Hmph. I had hoped a mage like yourself would be more willing to converse. So rare to meet a proper scholar in mother’s kingdom.” She sighed and hefted her club. The other soldiers raised their arms and held their position. “A marriage to me would be mutually beneficial to us both. I did so hope that you would see reason, but if you are so set on your barbarous combat ritual so be it.”

“Barbarous?! You’re the one chasing me with a club, lady. Don’t get so full of yourself.” You took a fighting stance and readied your magic.

Using your machete as a sword was pointless. The best lesson Valisias ever taught you was to forego weapons and slug it out with your fists. There was no world where you could ever beat any of the larger monsters in combat without a lifetime of sword training. Creatures like amazons, minotaurs, and even muscular succubi possessed strength beyond what a human could hope to achieve. Sure, you COULD use your magic to enhance speed and power of your strikes, but if you were going to use magic, why not cut out the middleman and blast your foe?

The oni cautiously moved in on you. It was bad news that the shogun knew about you already. Worse that she knew you were a mage. That news tended to travel quickly, but you had hoped the rural countryside would act like an information buffer that you could keep ahead of. If you already had the shogun’s attention, it was going to make things VERY difficult. Not a chance that a self-proclaimed “shogun” would forgive you for beating her daughter up either. Such a slight would surely warrant retaliation.

Nokoribi held her club over her head until she was a few meters away. One of her hands shot down from the hilt of her weapon and blasted you with a wave of rose-colored magic. You deflected the blast and raised a shield to protect flank as she lunged forward and swung her club at your side. Your own retaliatory shot was deflected by her ward as she hammered out two more blows onto your magical wall with her club. Gritting your teeth, you unleashed a shockwave around your body that sent her sprawling back. Growling, she charged at you again and shoved her hand into your barrier. 

She was trying to overload your ward with a direct assault. A risky gambit in the world of mages, but one she could afford to take. Even if you won out, the other soldiers would finish you off. Nokoribi slammed her club into your side again. Having to keep wards on either side of you left no room for counterattack. As she raised her club again, you rolled to her left, away from the incoming weapon and breaking your connection to her. Nokoribi stumbled forward, club whistling through the air as it went. From your crouched position, you were able to land a solid hit into her flank.

Nokoribi grunted as the blast knocked her off her feet. You barely saw it in the commotion, but you caught a glimpse of glowing sigils fading away where you had scored the hit. Enchanted armor…

“Hmph! I admit, I did not think you would land a blow.” Said Nokoribi, rolling her shoulders and raising her club again.

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” You said.

“I didn’t say I was impressed.”

Nokoribi opted for a ranged assault this time. Sitting at a comfortable distance, she began to pepper you with weak bolts. She was just probing for weakness, but you couldn’t afford to leave any part of yourself undefended. This couldn’t go on for much longer. Keeping a full-body ward up under duress was exhausting even when you hadn’t used magic to scale a mountain. What you needed was a plan of attack.

During a lull in Nokoribi’s onslaught, you lashed out at the ground around her feet. The stone cracked around the oni’s feet. Nokoribi stumbled, giving you the chance you needed. You shot a blast of magic at her with one hand and launched a heavy stone up at her from the ground. Nokoribi blocked the magic with a ward but failed to protect herself from the physical threat. The rock struck her squarely in the jaw, knocking her onto her back. Without missing a beat, you stepped forward and latched onto her body before she could recover. You lifted and slammed her back down before she could get another attack off. 

The scion’s guards began inching closer. Nokoribi composed herself enough to break your tether. You fumbled with her for a second trying to regain your grip. Failing that, you flicked her into a tree. Turning your attention to the soldiers, you grabbed an amazon and launched her into her friends. An arrow whistled out of the woods, narrowly missing you. You didn’t get a glimpse of the shooter, so you let loose a few indiscriminate blasts in their general direction. The other soldiers took the hint and held their ground, now forming a considerably ring around you. Looking over your shoulder, you eyed the cliff warily.

Nokoribi shoved one of her soldiers aside and reentered the fight. She cursed in Zipangunese and pulled aside her cracked menpo to spit out a gob of blood.

“I suppose I have only myself to blame for underestimating you.” She said, rubbing her swollen jaw.

“You aren’t the first to make that mistake.” You said.

“Indeed. Tell me, Anonymous: what is it you came to Zipangu to find?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know that.” You said.

“That you’re looking for a wife? I know. I’m guessing that your presence at this shrine is no coincidence. You’re after a ryu, no?”

“I just came here to pay my respects. Figured I would ingratiate myself with the local deities.” You said.

Nokoribi snorted. “You’re a capable combatant, but a dreadful liar, Anonymous.”

“Yeah, fine. I came up here looking for a bachelorette of a certain species. And I’m going to find one, too. I’ve given beatdowns to worse than you, so if you think that some bratty princess with a stick is going to stop me, you’ve got another thing coming.” You said.  
“What if I didn’t stop you?” said Nokoribi passively.

You balked at the question. “What?”

“Not only that, what if I escorted you to an eligible ryu?” asked Nokoribi.

“I’d find that impossible to believe.” You said.

“Anonymous, come now. I’m a woman of reason. I understand that a man such as yourself has MORE than enough spirit energy to go around. If I have to share you with another, so be it. As long as my precious husband is happy. Think about it: you traveling the lands of Zipangu in comfort, knowing you have the mightiest warriors on the island to protect you as I whisk you to the doorstep of your bride-to-be. Safe, assured, and swift. We can be courting her by tomorrow if you surrender now.”

“That’s a hell of a caveat.” You said.

“But one you’re in no position to refuse.” Said Nokoribi sternly. “This land has claimed stronger men than you who thought themselves impervious to peril.”

“Sorry ma’am, I’m afraid my fidelity is stronger than empty promises.” You said.

Nokoribi hefted her club. “Anonymous, choose your next words carefully. I know my promise sounds dubious, doubly so considering the circumstance, but I promise I won’t lie to you. You would be a fool to gamble everything you’ve worked so hard for this late in the game. As your wife I swear to you: I will do everything in my power to make you happy. Not a single need shall go unmet. You can even consummate your marriage to her first, if that is what is required to win your trust. Think of it! You, a ryu, and me, living happily in Kamaka.”

You frowned. “Why Kamaka?”

“It needn’t be Kamaka. I merely suggested it since I already have an estate there.” Said Nokoribi, waving her hand.

So, that’s how it is. You had a good feeling you knew what was going on now. Moegara was probably trying to pull a Petropa and have you married into her family for personal gain. That also meant that it was no doubt a sore spot for Nokoribi.

“Oh? Is that it? Not because having a ryu and mage there would strengthen mommy’s empire?” you said.

Nokoribi’s eyes widened. “No! You misunderstand! That- that isn’t my intent! It’s true, that would strengthen the shogunate, but-“

“The thought never crossed your mind?” you interjected.

Nokoribi pursed her lips. “I… briefly considered the notion. But it was merely an intrusive thought, nothing more. I swear to you, my intentions are noble.”

“Stow it. You haven’t said one noble thing this entire conversation, you conniving rat. Tell me, what would the first favor you ask of me be? Conquer more land so that you can expand your territory? Fight one of your sisters for the throne?”

Nokoribi bared her teeth at you. “You impudent wretch! I would never stoop so low! How dare you insinuate such things!”

“Did the shogun send you?” you asked.

Nokoribi’s blue skin turned a few shades lighter. “W-what?”

“Did Moegara send you.” You asked.

Nokoribi’s countenance broke. Her eyes widened and she looked away. “…She did.”

“I knew it.” You spat.

“Anonymous, please! It’s not what you think! I know what it sounds like, but I have my own feelings!” said Nokoribi.

“Save it for someone who cares, princess. I’ve heard this speech more times than I care to count. When will monsters like you learn to leave me alone and let me marry on my own terms? It’s not that much to ask! Besides…” Your hands glowed as you prepared the next spell. “You’re not my type.”

“Not your-?!” she sputtered. Nokoribi clenched her jaw and moved in for the kill.

You took a shot at Nokoribi again. She easily blocked the attack.

“I’ll just have to do this the old-fashioned way. Grab him, it’s time to end this game.” Said Nokoribi.

The soldiers you had battered before didn’t need to be told twice. They ran forward ahead of Nokoribi for a chance to sink their weapons into you. You unleashed a barrage of arcane bolts into the tide of scales and claws. Most of them were taken out or wounded with a few well-placed blasts, but several had the reflexes to deflect your magic off their realm-silver weapons. Fuck. This was going to hurt…

Dodging the spear thrusts and sword swipes was impossible. These were supernaturally endowed monsters after all. Every shimmy and twist you made was easily anticipated and foiled. Forcing your wards out, you shoved the crowd away from you and sent out another shockwave.  
The monsters flew back. Nokoribi raised an arm to cover her eyes but was unfazed by the blast.

“That wasn’t as strong as the last one.” She sneered.

You hammered out a few more bolts into the monsters on your right as they recovered from the blast. The best thing you could do for yourself now is eliminate as many mooks as possible. Even a single soldier would be a distraction you couldn’t afford when fighting Nokoribi.

The blue oni flicked her wrist and you lurched forward. You quickly severed the tether, but she was already within striking distance. Feinting left, you managed to dive out of the way before she could end you with a swipe of her club. She followed up by grabbing you with her magic again. You flopped and floundered away, lashing out at her with your magic as she fumbled with you. A soldier tried to take a swipe at you with her sword as you bounced across the ground. You flicked her weapon to the side and threw the lizardman at Nokoribi. The oni broke her focus to catch the girl and gently drop her on the ground. At least she wasn’t as heartless as some of the other bandits you had encountered.

Panting, you pulled yourself to your feet. She was tenacious, you gave her that. Your mana reserves were now running dangerously low. Nokoribi wasn’t doing well either. Her movements were sluggish and labored. If she had the mana to finish you, she would have done so already. But a stalemate wouldn’t do. Even if you won out over Nokoribi, the other monsters would merely have to pick you up and carry you off. Most were unconscious or incapacitated, but a few soldiers still waited in the wings. Probably the ones who knew there was a chance to score you for themselves if they played their cards right. Or if you could pit them against each other. Begging the biggest one to protect you was usually enough to set off a chain reaction of infighting.

Nokoribi must have drawn the same conclusion as you: all she had to do was keep up the pressure. Foregoing magic, she gripped the club with both hands and began pounding at your wards again. You empowered your fist with magic and drove it into her gut. Nokoribi grunted, but the enchanted armor absorbed the blow.

“I don’t need magic to finish you.” She panted.

You latched onto her head and tried to throw her. Nokoribi staggered as you dragged her, severing the connection with a strike at your arm. You backstepped over a fallen soldier. Range was the only advantage you had now. There had to be something you could do…  
You flicked a few more half-hearted shots at Nokoribi to buy you time. She didn’t flinch as her armor absorbed the pitiful blows. Seeing her step over a fallen hornet girl gave you an idea.

As Nokoribi closed in on you, you grabbed her head and pulled her forward. With your free hand, you used your magic to unsheathe a tanto from the hornet girl. Nokoribi stumbled forward. The small sword shot into your hand. The blue oni tried to correct her fall, bringing her face level to yours for a moment. Using your magic, you thrust the sword into her face.

Nokoribi uttered a throaty whimper as the realm-silver sunk into her exposed face. She crashed into you, bringing you both to the ground. You cried out in pain as her massive frame pinned you against the rock. Using your magic, you managed to roll her to one side enough for you to squeeze out from under her.

Nokoribi was unconscious, sword still sticking out of her swollen face. You pulled it free and watched her skin whorl shut as the blade left. Liquid mana evaporated off the blade into the air.

You put your hands on your knees and gulped down air. This wasn’t over yet… The few remaining soldiers stood scattered around the battlefield. A standoff. That boded well for you. If they were in cahoots, they would already be upon you. All you had to do was pick them apart.

Appealing to the salamander would be useless. Groveling would only make her angrier. Succubi were an option, albeit a bit of a stretch. They were likely more willing than others to ‘split the pot,’ so to speak. The amazon? Maybe. She was an amazon after all. But her species could have ferocious loyalty to their leaders. Donning a panicked expression, you looked around to judge the monster’s reaction.

Most of them continued to inch forward, but a succubus hesitated for a second. That’ll do.

“Please, don’t let them hurt me…” you pleaded, looking at the succubus.

Her face blushed.

“Don’t listen to him. Let’s finish this and go home.” Said a salamander.

“Maybe we can take him like this?” offered the succubus.

“Not an option. He’s too dangerous.” Said the salamander.

“You just want me for yourself!” you shouted.

Her tail flared. “I-wha- I do not!”

“Ambys, don’t tell me…” said a kakuen.

“No! Nokoribi fought him, so she gets the spoils. I’m just trying to finish him off!” said the salamander.

“You’re just after my mana! What kind of salamander wouldn’t want to get her claws on so much power? It would be enough to start your own tribe.” You said, directing the last line at the amazon.

The tanned woman’s throat jumped, betraying her apathetic face. If she wasn’t thinking about taking you before, she was certainly thinking about it now. The chance to be the matriarch of her own tribe was irresistible to an amazon. Most didn’t stand a chance, but bagging you would give this otherwise insignificant warrior a shot at becoming chieftess.

“Pandi, don’t listen to him! We’ll get paid when we get back.” Insisted the salamander.

“Be gentle!” said the succubus.

The salamander ignored her and got within striking distance. You heard the patter of feet, and barely dodged the blow of the amazon’s sword. The salamander looked just as surprised as you.

“What the hell, Pandi?! Are you insane?”

“I’m just TRYING to finish him off.” Said the amazon.

“You idiot, just keep him boxed in and we’ll collapse on him.” Said the salamander.

“Why do YOU want to be the one who ends it so bad, Ambys? So that you can say you beat him in battle?” said the amazon.

“You’re insane. Get ahold of yourself and help me fight! I don’t want any surprises.” Said Ambys.

The other monsters shared their fiery leader’s sentiment and moved in to surround you. Fuck it.

Twisting around, you dropped the lamia who was trying to get the drop on you. Two more soldiers made a lunge at you, and you blasted them as well. You winced as the salamander stabbed you in the back, digging deep into your ward. Dragging the kakuen over to you, you wrenched her onto your sword and tossed her aside.

The succubus hesitantly stepped towards you. You prepared to blow her away, but the amazon stepped forward and took a wide swing at you. The blade narrowly missed you, cleaving through the succubus as it followed through. The poor succubus’ knees trembled, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Pandi!” roared the salamander.

“Hand slipped.” Retorted the amazon.

A dark elf tried to skulk into your blind spot with a knife. You stepped to the side and dragged her forward. She stumbled past you, and you gave her a nudge towards the amazon. Sure enough, the brute cut through the elf as well.

“PANDI!”

“Reflex.” Said the amazon.

Ambys had had enough. She roared and took a swing at Pandi. The amazon hopped to the side and readied her massive sword.

“I knew it, you just want him for yourself!” said Pandi.

“You’re delusional!” said Ambys.

The two began to slug it out as you polished off the remaining monsters. Gasping, you staggered over to your pack and rummaged around for some food. Pulling out some dried meat, you scarfed it down and sat against your bag.

A meaty thud emanated from behind you. You could tell by the rasp of claws against stone who had been victorious.

“You…” wheezed Ambys.

You allowed her to approach you. She stood over you, panting. You looked up at her while you chewed your jerky.

“Are you FINISHED?” she seethed.

“No, I still have more.” You said, waving your fistful of meat in her face.

Ambys’ eyes bulged, and she raised her sword. You grabbed her feet and yanked her over the cliff. The salamander screamed as the ground slid out from under her. When it was just her hands that remained on the cliff, you held her there. She huffed and panted, suspended horizontally over the precipice.

“If you were talking about the fight, I wasn’t finished with that either.” You said.

“You bastard. You’ll pay for this!” said Ambys.

“I don’t think so. Tell your boss not to send anyone else after me if she doesn’t want her daughters to get hurt.” You said.

“You’re a dead man. Moegara won’t forgive this! You don’t have any IDEA what you’ve just invited upon yourself, you stupid foreigner. I won’t do a THING an honorless dog like yourself-“

You interrupted her diatribe by letting one of her legs drop. She squealed and scrabbled at the cliff with her hands, one leg uselessly kicking at the air as she flailed.

“Alright! Alright! Fine! I’ll tell her!” said Ambys.

You flipped her over onto the cliff.

Ambys swore and clutched her shoulder. “You really are bull-headed, aren’t you?”

“Only as much as I need to be.” You said.

As much as you’d love to hang around here and get some rest, these monsters wouldn’t be asleep forever. Time to get while the getting was good. Nokoribi had mentioned that there was a Kamaka shogunate “toll booth” in the mountain pass that most people traveled through, so that mean the only way back was the way you got here.

You peered over the cliff. It was a LONG way down. If you messed up here, you doubt even Lussazan could revive you. Mulling it over, you came up with a plan of attack. The river was only a dozen meters away. All you had to do was get the proper aim.

“What are you looking at human?” asked Ambys.

You clutched your pack to your chest and stood next to the waterfall. The pack would have to make a separate trip. Too many things in there that couldn’t afford to get soaked.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about-“

You grit your teeth and charged over the cliff. Ambys screamed as she watched you plummet towards the forest below. You used a tiny bit of magic to nudge yourself towards what looked like a deeper part of the river. Naturally, a fall from this height would be fatal no matter what you hit. But you had other plans. As the dark water approached, you hurled your pack towards the sandy bank and used the last of your magic to summon a sloped ward underneath you. Your fatigue got the better of you, and it came out steeper than you envisioned it to be. Though the ward adjusted your angle and slowed your decent, it was not the graceful entry you had in mind. You hit the water hard, cartwheeling once and sinking.

Your lungs burned as they filled with water. Floating to the surface you wretched up a lungful of liquid and slowly swam to shore. The pain was phenomenal. In a world of realm-silver weapons and monsters that always took it easy on you, it was hard to remember what REAL pain felt like sometimes. 

It took you several tries to finally pull your body onto the shore. Miraculously, your pack had landed only a few dozen meters upriver. Chances were that the contents had been thoroughly damaged by the impact, but you doubted that anything irreplaceable was lost.  
You dragged yourself towards the canvas bag at a snail’s pace. Your body was bruised and raw from the impact with the water. Every bump and brush against the ground sent surges of pain through your body. It took what felt like hours to finally reach your things.  
Setting up camp would be impossible. Dragging your pack behind you, you wormed your way off the shore and into the woods. Finding a hollow log, you feebly affixed a pre-made talisman to the damp wood to mask your mana and crawled inside. Throwing your pack under your head, you fell into a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~

The courtiers and statesmen of Kamaka murmured to themselves as Nokoribi passed. Nokoribi bowed her head in shame. Placing her hand on the doors to the palatial courtyard, she took a deep breath. How could she deliver the news?

Fighting back tears, she pushed open the door. A wave of silence rippled through the courtyard as more and more monsters noticed the battered princess. Armor scuffed, helmet askew on her head, bandaged, swollen jaw still coated in flecks of dried blood. And no husband to show for it.

“Nokoribi…” said Moegara, standing from her throne.

Nokoribi bowed. “Mother, I apologize for this failure. I was unsuccessful in my hunt.”

Moegara walked over to her daughter. Nokoribi stood to face her, tension visible on her normally stoic face. Moegara cupped her cheeks, looking at the wound.

“He did this to you?” she asked incredulously.

“…Yes.” Said Nokoribi shamefully.

“And the others?”

“…”

Moegara licked her thumb and used it to wipe away some errant splotches of blood from her daughter’s cheek. Nokoribi’s lip trembled. Moegara hushed her and gave her a hug.

“Shh… It’s alright. I understand.” She said.

Nokoribi sniffed and hugged her mother.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was foolish of me to underestimate him. I thought that danuki was embellishing his talents to gouge me for money. I never would have imagined that he could actually back all the claims made about him.” Said Moegara.

“No, I should have fought better. If I had been quicker-“

“Nokoribi. It’s over. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Mages are not easy prey, by any standard. You are skilled, but the human has been training his combat magic far longer than you.” Said Moegara.

Nokoribi bowed her head in shame. It was true; her time as a bureaucrat had distracted her from many of the martial pursuits that her sisters had taken up. Though they lacked the magic potential she had, Nokoribi’s skill with combat magic was hindered by her lack of practice and narrow-minded way of thinking. In the end, it had been the human’s ability to shift the flow of combat to his advantage that allowed him win out against overwhelming odds.

“Where are the rest of your soldiers?” asked Moegara.

“I sent them to their barracks. I told them I would face you alone.” Said Nokoribi.

Moegara sighed and chuckled. “Face me alone? Noko, do you think your mother would punish you after everything you’ve done for me? The mage escaped. It’s a setback, but-“

Moegara paused as she felt Nokoribi’s arms clench around her.

“Mother… There’s something else.” Sobbed Nokoribi.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” asked Moegara. 

“Anonymous is…”

Nokoribi broke down before she could finish the sentence. Her rasping sobs and the crackle of fires smoldering in their braziers were the only sounds in the courtyard. 

Moegara’s head reeled. Dead? How?! He had won the fight! No, it was impossible!

“Noko, what is Anonymous?” asked Moegara, trying to keep her voice under control. A succubus noble excused herself, quietly crying into her husband as he helped her out of the courtyard.

“Nokoribi, he isn’t DEAD is he? Tell me he isn’t dead!” said Moegara, shaking Nokoribi’s shoulders.

Nokoribi took a deep rattling breath and wiped her eyes. “Ambys was the last one standing. She said that he told her to go tell you not to send anyone else after him, then he… he…”

“He WHAT, Nokoribi?” asked Moegara. Part of her didn’t want to hear anymore. The idea of a poor little human dying because of her was too awful to even consider.

“He jumped off the falls. Near the ryu shrine above the south Sekitsui pass. Ambys said he could barely stand when he did. She looked away before he hit the water, but she never saw him come back up. Momma, I don’t think… in his state… he was already exhausted…”

Nokoribi’s breathy speech deteriorated into wailing as she pressed herself into her mother. Moegara stared blankly into space.

He Jumped? Off the falls? Was he so set on his mission that death was preferable to failure?

“By the Demon Lord… Nokoribi, that isn’t your fault. He made that choice! None of the blame falls on you.” Said Moegara hugging her tightly.

Nokoribi bawled. Her mother’s words were no consolation to her.

“Shogun…”

Moegara glanced at the court attendant who had spoken up.

“Princesses Kaizo and Gakke are here to answer your summons.” Said the attendant softly.

An oni burst through the door, followed by another.

“Momma! We’re here! Why’d ya-“ Kaizo abruptly cut herself off as she realized that something was amiss.

“W-what’s going on?” asked Kaizo.

“Mother, is something wrong?” asked Gakke.

Moegara sighed plaintively. “I’m afraid so.”


	46. Chapter 46

Welcome!~ {How can I he- BY THE GODS!}

The vixen innkeeper ran to catch you as you slumped against the doorway. You stifled a yelp as she grabbed your bruised side. She jumped away, leaving you to collapse onto her floor.

{What happened to you?!}

“I don’t speak Zipangunese.” You moaned.

“Are you alright?! Who did this to you?” asked the inari.

“Moegara…”

“The shogun. Feh.”

You staggered to your feet with her help. She led you through the inn to a bed and sat you down.

“Stay here. I’ll return in a moment.” She said.

Dumping your bag on the floor, you collapsed sideways on the bed. Oh, that felt gooooood. It had been three days since you had taken a dive off a cliff. This village wasn’t very far from the river you landed in, but it had taken every ounce of energy not to collapse on the way over here. The agony was unbearable. Your entire right side had been obliterated when you landed in the river. A great purple blotch coated your torso, making any contact intolerable. You would have gone shirtless if it wouldn’t have given away your identity. Now that the shogunate was hunting you, keeping a low profile was imperative.

You heard your hostess return. It had only been a moment, but you were already struggling to keep your eyes open.

“Can you sit up? How bad is it?” asked the fox woman. She pulled a damp towel off her shoulder and wiped your face.

“Those savages… I knew they were violent, but to hurt a man like this is unforgivable!” she quipped, scrubbing at the dirt.

You were too tired to fight her. Shutting your eyes, you allowed her to scrub as she pleased. Her lithe hands ran over your arms as she traced your cuts.

“You’re in bad shape, foreigner. You need to get these wounds properly treated. There is a spring behind the inn, you can bathe there. I’ll prepare a poultice.”

“I just need rest…”

“It looks like they beat you within an inch of your life! You need more than a bed. Come, let me help you out of those clothes.” Said the innkeeper.

You resisted her attempts to remove your cloak. This woman might only be ostensibly friendly. No telling if she had an angle of her own.

“Would you stop squirming? I’m trying to help you!” huffed the inari.

“Are you married?” you asked.

She stared at you. “Yes, I’m married. What kind of question is that?”

She looked down at her hands, each grabbing a fistful of your clothes. “Oh. Yes, I’m married. I assure you; my intentions are purely merciful. I can’t stand to see a human suffer so.”

You relaxed and let her peel away your muddy cloak. She gasped when she removed your shirt and saw your body.

“Gods… All this from Kamaka soldiers you say?” she asked.

“Sort of. The bruise is from the cliff.” You muttered.

“Cliff?” The inari’s eyes went wide.

“It’s a long story.” You sighed.

“Right, well, let’s get you cleaned and bandaged and perhaps you can tell me about it after a good night’s sleep. Can you stand? I’ll help you to the spring.”

“No! Wait. Please, the shogunate is following me. I can’t be seen.” You pleaded.

The inari looked fearfully at you. “Following you? Are you certain? Will-“ she lowered her voice. “Will they come here?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them in days.” You said.

The inari bit her lip. “I see… Well, those wounds won’t wait for Kamaka soldiers. I’ll see that the baths are empty. We’ll tend to your wounds and then you can tell me what’s going on. I feel that there is more to this story.” She hurried off and left you alone.

You pursed your lips. That was an understatement. It might have been a mistake to come here. This inari was kind enough to take you in without so much as a coin up front, and you might be leading an army to her doorstep. If they came now, you would be in no position to fight. You’d have to surrender to keep the inn safe. The inari returned and informed you that the spring was empty. You winced as she slung your arm over your shoulder and helped you limp to the water.

At long last, the fabled Zipangunese hot spring. You had been wanting to sink into one of these since you arrived. But bathing was a risky proposition in mamono territory. It meant being naked and accessible to any monster that happened upon you. Sometimes even the water itself tried to rape you. If you didn’t have access to a tub, you typically jumped in, splashed around a bit with a bar of soap, and leapt out as fast as you could. But this… THIS was a sight to behold. The steaming water gave off a distinct, earthy scent.  
The innkeeper gently set you down and helped you take off your pants. She gasped every time another gash or bruise emerged from beneath your tattered garments. You blushed as you slipped off your underwear. It felt wrong to expose yourself to a married woman, but these were desperate circumstances. Gingerly slinging your legs over the lip of the pool, you slid into the water.

Oh yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh… That’s the stuff. You audibly sighed as the warm water coursed over your battered form. The cuts and scrapes briefly screamed as the mineral-enriched water ran through them, but you quickly got used to it. Reclining against the edge of the pool, you leaned back and let the tension flow out of your body.

“I’ll make sure that no one else comes in. Please, use some of the soap to clean out those wounds. And the rest of your body while you’re at it…” said the inari.

You blushed as you realized how much grime was in the water around you. You’d have to make sure to give her a little extra compensation for polluting her spring and staining her sheets. Grabbing a bar of soap and a brush, you carefully set about cleaning yourself up.  
It was strange that Moegara hadn’t sent anyone else after you. Sure, you had told the salamander to tell her boss not to send anyone else after you, but how often did that work? Moegara didn’t sound like the kind of monster to let a beatdown on her daughter slide. Was she on the way? If she brough an army onto the east side of the island, would it be up to you to stop her? You sighed and tried to focus on more immediate concerns, like the dirt underneath your nails.

~~~~~~~~

The mood in Moegara’s court was somber. Despite her best efforts, rumors had circulated through Kamaka that one of her daughters had killed a man. Nokoribi, Kaizo, and Gakke sat patiently awaiting their mother’s orders. Only a few of Moegara’s most trusted advisors occupied the pillows and chairs normally brimming with courtiers.

“So, this ‘Anonymous’ is dead?” asked Kaizo.

“For the third time, yes. Use your ears.” Grunted Gakke.

Nokoribi winced.

“Sister, it’s not your fault. I didn’t mean it like that.” Said Gakke.

Nokoribi was jostled back and forth by her massive sister’s arm. Moegara might be big, but Gakke was set to be even bigger. Foregoing conventional Zipangunese arms and armor, Gakke had spent her allowance on a panoply of western style armor as well as a shield. The only ‘oni’ thing about her was the brutal mace she swung. Too heavy for even most monsters, Gakke swung it through boulders as easily as she did her foes. She was known across the island for her formational tactics that most other lieutenants couldn’t be bothered with. Arguably the most disciplined group of soldiers in the Kamaka shogunate. All because of Gakke’s brutal selection process. If a monster couldn’t prove herself disciplined and skilled enough to get in, she was cut, no exceptions.

“Yeah, if he took a swan dive, that’s on him.” Said Kaizo, slapping Nokoribi on the back.

Aaaaaand then there was Kaizo. The wild child. Pirate, plunderer, bandit, and general. Feared from Argen and back for her relentless piracy and raiding. Kaizo was a leader to many, but a walking migraine to Nokoribi. True, her marines were some of the best sailors in Zipangu. And yes, she did conquer a considerable amount of land and resources for the shogunate. Most monsters in Kamaka knew her for these reasons. No wall could last for long when Kaizo was sieging. Her soldiers always seemed to find ways up, over, around, or even through any fortifications in their way. How they did it, no one knew. Not even Kaizo. Nokoribi had tried to get her sister to divulge her tactics so that other commanders could emulate them, only to be told ‘I dunno. They just kind of run in, I guess.’ But Kaizo’s unconventional tactics weren’t the problem. Nokoribi was a pragmatist; as long as the mission was accomplished and the shogunate came out on top, it didn’t matter how Kaizo managed her soldiers. No, the real issue was how she employed those tactics. 

Since Kaizo took to the sea, instances of piracy around Zipangu had spiked 13%. Merchant ships were taking farther and farther routes around the island to avoid Kaizo’s ravenous appetite for loot. Some had capitulated and agreed to pay a sizable fee when they entered Kamaka controlled waters, but the reduced volume of trade to the island was starting to become a burden. Other cities and governments on Zipangu were growing increasingly frustrated that their trade was being interrupted by some brat. Nokoribi had been working for years to get Kamaka recognized as a proper sovereign state. Thanks to her sister’s antics, Kamaka’s image was regressing to the nation city of barbarians that they had been seen as in the past. Already an otohime had threatened to “wash that city of savages off the map” after one of the ships and Kaizo’s fleet ‘plundered’ a ship full of bachelors en route to her ryugujo. It had taken a considerable amount of money and men to calm her down. 

Plundering men was not only something Kaizo’s troops were extremely proficient at, but it was also the number one cause of missing soldiers. Unlike other armies, Kaizo’s troops would instantly savage any man they could get their claws on. Once they did, the soldiers would often help themselves to a sizeable ‘dowry’ from the loot and settle down somewhere. When Nokoribi finally snapped and asked Kaizo where the loot was from one of the ships she had brought in, she simply said that “it was there last time I looked.” The amount of loot she contributed to the shogunate and her army’s size both relied on the same thing: pure numbers. Most of the time, Kaizo didn’t even know who the hell she was sailing with. She would loudly proclaim that she was going pirating, and a swarm of soldiers would fill the boats to follow her. Payrolling such feats was enough to bring Nokoribi to tears on a regular basis.

“Sister.” Said Gakke.

“What? It’s true.” Said the smaller oni.

“Nokoribi, are you certain that Ambys wasn’t deceived? Can her account really be trusted?” asked Moegara.

“Yes. How many times must I say it?” said Nokoribi.

“I’m not so certain. I sent a detachment of scouts to search the river. They didn’t find a body, but they did mention that it looked as if something had crawled onto the river bank a day or two ago.” Said Moegara.

“You think he lived?” asked Nokoribi.

Moegara sighed. “I don’t know. That’s why I contacted an expert.”

“An… expert?” asked Gakke.

“Indeed. She should be here shortly.” Said Moegara.

“That must be my cue~”

The onis looked upward to the ball of light descending into the courtyard. With a flash, the light expanded into a curvaceous woman, lounging on a cage with her legs crossed.

“Hello, shogun~” said the wisp.

“Yonochi.” Said Moegara.

“Who’re you?” asked Kaizo.

“Kaizo.” Scolded Nokoribi.

“Me? I’m just a little ol’ wisp. Your mother just happened to summon me because I’m one of the most powerful spirits on the island.” Said Yonochi, laying back onto her cage and letting her hair cascade over the side. A fiery hand reached out to stroke the tresses, and Yonochi interlaced her fingers on top of the hand.

“Yonochi, I was hoping you could help us with a… situation.” Said Moegara.

“Go on then.” Said Yonochi.

“I need to know if someone is still alive. There was a human, he might be dead. I was hoping that you could… confirm his fate.”

“Ahh yes! The dead human I’ve been hearing so much about.” Said Yonochi.

“He’s dead?!” blurted Nokoribi.

“Maybe.” Smiled the wisp.

“What do you mean ‘maybe’?!” said Nokoribi.

“Relax, darling. I assure you; death is IMMENSELY preferable to living in those disgusting meaty prisons. And he might not even be dead yet! You see, I’ve heard the story about the human seven different times in eight different ways. I need to know the truth: what REALLY happened on that cliff?”

Nokoribi grit her teeth. “I cornered him on the cliff, we fought, and he… jumped off.”

“So, he jumped off a cliff?”

“Yes.”

The wisp cocked an eyebrow. “Wow. This place must not be doing too well if you need me to tell you that humans can’t survive long falls.”

“He was a mage.” Said Moegara.

“Oh? That makes things interesting~ Tell me, was he powerful?” asked the wisp, rolling over and resting her chin on her hands.

“He was.”

“Come on honey, give me more than that! How strong is strong?” jeered Yonochi.

“Very. He managed to best me in combat. My soldiers as well.” Said Nokoribi.

“Hold on, he BEAT you? What kind of lunatic celebrates a win by suiciding?” asked Yonochi.

“We…” Nokoribi bit back tears. “We found him alone, at the edge of the cliff. He had used his magic to climb it, so I took him for easy prey. But he managed to resist every one of my spells and strikes until… I was knocked unconscious by him. After that, he fought the rest of my soldiers until only one remained. He told her to spread the word not to pursue him, and…”

“You used magic against him? How much?” asked the wisp.

“All I had.” Sniffed Nokoribi.

“He’s alive.”

Nokoribi’s head snapped up. “What?!”

“He’s alive. What a shame.” Said Yonochi.

“How do you-“

“Sounds like this man was a cut above the usual magician. If a man has the juice to slug it out with an oni after climbing a mountain, he would most DEFINITELY be noticed by the spirits if he died. A boy like that? Like dropping a bloody steak in a pool of mersharks.” Said Yonochi.

“You’re certain?” asked Moegara.

“I didn’t feel it. And seeing as how every spirit on this half of the island isn’t scrambling to get their hands on a top-shelf soul? He’s alive and kicking. Though, his health is beyond me.” Said Yonochi.

“So, he’s alive…” said Nokoribi.

“I knew it.” Said Gakke.

“Yeah. No way some paper-filer like yourself could ever kill anyone.” Said Kaizo.

“What a relief.” Said Moegara.

“So, what now?” asked Kaizo.

“I want you two to find Anonymous. Bring him back if you can, but you have my permission to take him if he proves to be too difficult to contain. Do NOT underestimate him. That means you, Kaizo.” Said Moegara.

“And me?” asked Nokoribi.

“You’ll have your chance. For now, you need to recover.” Said Moegara.

Yonochi yawned loudly. “Well, if you’re going to discuss family business, then I’ll be on my way. After I collect my fee, of course~”

Moegara sighed and tossed a bag full of coins to the wisp. “What the hell does a ghost even do with money?”

“I decorate! You don’t think everything in this cage is made of flame, do you? I found the perfect little armoire the other day and I know EXACTLY where to put it.” Said Yonochi.

She retreated into the cage and erupted into a flash of light. The luminous sphere zipped into the sky and out of sight.

“What a weirdo.” Said Kaizo.

“Focus, girl. Anonymous is alive; and he has a few days head start. I need you and Gakke to find him. Fast. You need to leave at once; he’s still fair game to the other monsters and I want him found before he’s abducted by some spider. Nokoribi will give you a compass; with the proper spell, it will show the way to the human. Both of you find a mage you can trust and bring her here.” Said Moegara.

“He must not have moved very far. The last time I checked the compass, it was still pointing towards the falls.” Said Nokoribi.

“Unfortunately, there is only one compass. Kaizo, you will carry it with you.” Said Moegara.

“Why her?” asked Gakke.

“Because no matter what I tell her, she’s going to rush off ahead.” Said Moegara.

Gakke nodded. A fair point.

“I’ll go tell the gals!” said Kaizo.

“Both of you should travel light. Bring your fastest soldiers and leave the rest. We can’t afford to let him get too far ahead.”

“Right. Only a couple hundred, I promise.” Said Kaizo.

“That’s not what I- Uhh…” Moegara shook her head. “Just bring him here. Unraped, if possible, Kaizo.”

Gakke followed her sister as the smaller oni burst through the doors. Nokoribi ran a hand over her swollen jaw.

“Do you think they can handle it?” said Nokoribi.

Moegara snorted. “For his sake? I hope they can.”

“Why is that?”

“Because if they don’t, Royoshi will.” Said Moegara.

“Royoshi?” whispered Nokoribi.

Moegara nodded. “Yes. I just received word: she’s finished taking care of that noble that was bothering us. She’s on her way back to Kamaka now.”

Nokoribi nodded weakly. Royoshi… No way the human could stand up to her.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to have her meet Gakke and Kaizo? He might be too far away to catch by the time she arrives.”

Moegara shook her head. “This is your sister we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter what kind of head start he has. Besides, those two will slow him down.”

Nokoribi gulped. She needed to go to the doctor in the morning and see if there was poultice or salve that could expedite her recovery. Because if Royoshi got to Kamaka before Anonymous was captured, there was no chance that Nokoribi would get her rematch with him.

~~~~~~~

You pulled your cloak over your stinging eyes and lurched down the stairs to the front of the inn. Whatever was in the tea, (which you probably shouldn’t have drank, considering the circumstances), your inari host gave you last night put you right to sleep and kept on going into the morning. Your sluggish body cried out for caffeine to reinvigorate itself.

“Ah! You! What are you doing down here?!” hissed the inari.

{Coffee…} you grumbled.

“What?”

Oh, right. “I need something to perk me up.”

“I can see that, but… Take a seat over here, and wait, alright?” she said.

You realized that the small eating area of the inn was occupied by a few other monsters, all enjoying their breakfast. And all of them were now looking at you. You quickly ducked your head and took the seat the inari had offered you. She returned after a moment with some food and a piping hot cup of tea.

“You really shouldn’t be up. A human with those kinds of wounds should be resting.” Insisted the fox quietly.

“I’m fine.” You grumbled.

“You’re not fine! You’re the opposite of fine!” She hissed.

You sank your teeth into whatever egg-concoction she had prepared for you. She had a point… You really weren’t fit for travel like this. The innkeeper had mentioned that you might have a cracked rib when she was looking you over, and you were loath to doubt her after trying to rest on it.

“A week to recuperate isn’t really in my schedule. Is there a unicorn around here that can patch me up? Any sort of doctor?” you asked.  
The inari frowned. “I’m not sure I should tell you. If I do, you’re going to walk right out the door to go see her, aren’t you?”

“Maybe ‘walk’ isn’t the best word…” you said.

She pursed her lips.

“Sorry.” You said, looking down at your breakfast.

The inari sighed. “You are a strange one, foreigner. I don’t know what kind of quest you’re on, but you’re driving yourself to the brink of suicide.”

“It’s the most important thing in my life.” You said sternly.

She glowered at you. “I think I’m entitled to a little more information than that.”

“It’s a long story.” You said.

“Nice try. If Kamaka soldiers are going to come knocking at my door, I’d at least like to know why they’re after you.” She said, taking a seat next to you.

“If I tell you, will you tell me where the nearest doctor is?” you asked.

“That depends on your answer.” Said the Inari.

You sighed. No sense dragging this out. You DID promise her an explanation earlier. And she had certainly gone above and beyond to accommodate you. In a hushed voice, you regaled her with a brief rundown of your encounter with Nokoribi and how you ended up in her inn.

“You jumped off the falls?!” hissed the inari.

“What else was I supposed to do?! Ask them for a piggyback ride down the mountain?” you retorted.

The inari clapped a palm over her face. “That has to be the STUPIDEST thing I’ve ever heard someone do.”

“Yeah, well, it worked.” You huffed.

“All that fuss to pray at a ryu shrine.” The inari shook her head.

You took another bite of your breakfast. No need to tell her what you were REALLY there for. The last thing you needed was some gossipy innkeeper telling all her patrons about the nice young man in need of healing that came through here.

“So, the doctor?” you asked.

She pursed her lips and gave you a doleful look. “Promise me you’ll stay here another day if I tell you.”

“I promise.” You said. It wasn’t as if you were going to get very far in this condition anyways. Might as well take a breather and let your mangled body recover.

She looked at you skeptically. Sighing, she relented. “There’s a unicorn in the town north of here. A real sweetheart. She’ll patch you up.”

You nodded. Pulling out your map, you traced your finger along the road until you found the settlement she was talking about. Looked like a two day walk.

“Yes, that’s the one. Heida. Such a quaint little place! My, you’ve certainly marked a lot of places-“ She squinted at the map. “Are those-“

You tried to subtly cover the map, but the cat was out of the bag. The inari looked at you with a perplexed look. Despite your best attempt to maintain a pokerfaced, she narrowed her eyes at you.

“Foreigner, you’ve marked an awful lot of ryu shrines.” She said slowly.

“Yeah.” You said passively.

“And you said that you had visited a ryu shrine just before Nokoribi attacked.”

“That’s right.”

“And were you visiting that shrine to pray? Or did you have… ‘ulterior motives’ for your visit?” She leaned over the table with a smirk. Damn these smug foxes.

“Fine. I admit I didn’t visit the shrine for conventional reasons. Sue me.” You grumbled.

Her fluffy tails waggled excitedly behind her. “Ooh!~ How exciting! A strapping young man on a quest for romance~”

You hid your blush with a sip of tea. She sounded like your mother…

“Hmm. Hmm! I see. That explains EVERYTHING.” She said with a giggle.

“Not so loud.” You said.

“Oh! Pardon me. Ahh, this takes me back.” Said the inari, hugging one of her tails.

You finished your food and wiped your mouth. “Please don’t tell anyone else about this.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Said the inari.

“Thank you. I think I’ll go take a nap. I’m still a little worn out.” You said with a stretch.

“I believe it. Go on, rest. I’ll rouse you for dinner.” Said the inari.

You shuffled back to your room and flopped down onto the bed. The tea had done little to perk you up. Closing your eyes, fatigue won out over the drink and you fell back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~

“Gakke, our forces are almost ready.” Said an arachne.

“Very good, lieutenant.” Said Gakke.

The oni looked out over the sea of soldiers making their final preparations. This would be a tenuous mission indeed. Gakke would never go against her mother’s orders, but this time she wondered if the shogun was biting off more than she could chew. Kaizo’s pillaging of ships and towns was only the most recent in a laundry list of grievances that the surrounding powers had against Kamaka. With the bulk of Kaizo’s raiders and a portion of her own garrison missing, Kamaka would be the most vulnerable it had been in years. Only her married elder sister Ayahai, presiding over a town a day’s march south from Kamaka, could reliably provide support to the heart of the shogunate if trouble should strike. A strong naval attack against Kamaka’s idle fleet would cripple the empire and leave their colonies in the Mist Continent to the mercy of the natives.

Why couldn’t they just let the human go? Surely the shogunate could endure a single slight against it. Best that their lesson in humility come from a traveling mage, instead of a rival queendom.

“He’d better be cute…” sighed Gakke.

“What was that, General?” asked the arachne.

“Nothing. Have the supplies I requested arrived?” said Gakke, cinching the final strap of her armor down.

“They have…” said the arachne tentatively.

“What’s wrong, lieutenant?” asked Gakke.

“General, is it wise to bring so many supplies when our goal is celerity? We’ve packed enough food for an army TWICE our size.” Said the arachne.

“Indeed.” Said Gakke contemptuously.

“But why then?”

Gakke looked out the gate of the barracks at the mob gathering below them. The throng roiled and surged as Kaizo stood on a podium shouting to the masses. Every fist pump was accompanied by a raucous cheer from the rabble.

“That’s why.” Sighed Gakke.

“So many! I suppose I should expect nothing less from the brackish beauty herself.” Said the Arachne.

Kaizo shouted something and pointed southeast. The monsters cheered and took off, sprinting through the city. Kaizo saw Gakke and her lieutenant watching from a distance and hurried over.

“Those girls are READY!” said Kaizo.

“So I see.” Said Gakke, watching the last trickle of hooligans slip away towards the city gate.

Kaizo looked at her sister’s troops and smirked. “Still dragging your heels I see, eh sis?”

“And whose fault would that be, runt?” said Gakke.

“Hey! It’s not my fault your fat ass can’t move any faster.” Said Kaizo.

“Dumbass. How the hell do you figure out how to put on your pants every day?”

“You’re just jealous ‘cause I bring in more loot in a day than you do in a month. Mama chose MY army to lead because she knows I’m the most capable.”

“Speaking of army, I couldn’t help but notice that the horde of degenerates you rallied DIDN’T HAVE A SINGLE MORSEL OF FOOD BETWEEN THEM!” roared Gakke.

Kaizo recoiled as her sister loomed over her. Gakke’s troops momentarily looked up from their packing.

“They did have food! I told everyone to take some with them.” Said Kaizo.

“Kaizo, none of them took food! You just assembled them in the town square an hour ago! They don’t have tents, food, water… some of them didn’t even have weapons!” said Gakke.

“Ah well. Nothing the villages along the way can’t provide for us.” Said Kaizo.

A blood vessel in Gakke’s head threatened to burst. “NOT this time, you truculent little shit. I will NOT allow you to make a mess of the countryside just so we can track down one human. IT’S JUST ONE HUMAN. Whether you know it or not, and I HIGHLY doubt you do, Kamaka is in the middle of some VERY important negotiations. You WILL NOT ransack the villages and towns we pass through. Kaizo, my sister, PLEASE listen to me, even if it’s just this one time.”

Kaizo glowered at her and rolled her eyes. “FINE. I’ll tell the gals to go easy. No promises.”

The pirate princess turned around and hurried off after her army.

“Lieutenant?” said Gakke.

“Yes, General?”

“See to it that supply trains are dispatched after us.”

“Yes, General.”

Gakke slung her own pack over her shoulder and turned her attention to the soldiers in the courtyard. Rows of monsters stood at the ready, awaiting her order.

“You all know the mission. We’re hunting down a human, obvious foreigner with a slightly slender build. He’s got magic; and a lot of it. If you encounter him, do NOT engage him on your own unless you can catch him by surprise. If you can’t eliminate him, keep a safe distance and wait for the rest of us. We’ll surround him and wear him down. With that in mind, this is an endurance hunt. Tracking him down might take days. You’ll also need to think on your feet; there won’t be any formations this time. Keep him surrounded, keep the pressure on, and we’ll be fine. Any questions?” said Gakke.

Her soldiers coolly looked back at her.

“Very well. Make me proud, soldiers. We’re representing Kamaka. I don’t want you behaving like those barbarians my sister employs. Now, let’s move. We need to catch up to my sister before she gets too far ahead.”

Gakke’s soldiers gave a yawp of agreement and fell into marching formation behind their leader.

~~~~~~~

You rolled out of bed and stretched. Your rib throbbed. Cursing, you clapped a hand over your bruised chest. Swearing even louder, you clenched your fists as a dull ache wracked your body. Taking a deep breath, you stood up.

Soaking in that spring had certainly helped your body, but it was still far from healed. What you needed now was to hightail it to Heida and get yourself fixed right. Hicera would have a fit if she saw you now… You gathered your things and headed for the serving area of the inn.

The inari saw you and gave you a small wave. You nodded to her and took a seat at an isolated table. Her husband set down a plate of food for you. You tried to thank him, but he just smiled and hurried off to the next customer. After the inari had tended to the needs of her other patrons, she came and sat with you.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good. Then, you’ll be on your way?”

“I will.” You said.

“It was a pleasure to have you here. I wish you luck in your, ‘pilgrimage’ foreigner.” Said the inari with a wink.

You smiled. Pulling out a handful of coins, you slid them over to her. “For my stay.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, looking at the money. “I… didn’t think you had a coin to your name, honestly.”

She inspected one of the Kyriavalissian coins. Her ears folded backward as she tried figure out how you would have come into possession of such a thing.

“That’s very generous of you, traveler, but I can’t accept all this. Take it with you. You can pay me back when you’re done with your ‘supplications.’” Giggled the inari.

“I insist. At least take what you’re owed.” You said, taking a few coins off the stack.

She eyed the pile and nodded. “Very well. Thank you, traveler.”

“And if anyone asks, I was never here.” You said, sliding one more coin over to her.

She placed her hand on top of yours and gave you a stern look. “I won’t tell a soul. There’s no charge for that, foreigner.”

You withdrew the coin and cinched your pouch shut.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to visit after I uhh…” you trailed off.

“I’ll give you two the honeymoon suite!” said the inari.

You cleared your throat. “Yeah, thanks. I hope I see you again soon.”

“Take care, foreigner!~” said the inari.

Dragging your hood down around your face, you exited the inn and set out northward.

~~~~~~~~~

Two days later, you were setting up camp in the woods. The combination of your injuries and underestimating how unforgiving the terrain could be had foiled your expectations of arriving within two days. Not by much, but you weren’t about to attempt a half-day hike exhausted and in the middle of the night. You hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any Kamaka shogunate goons since your ill-fated encounter on the cliff. Still, better to be vigilant.

You set to work arranging all the various wards and magical alarms you slept with. Teletomancy had been one of your great interests at Admaz. Combining the techniques from the college with the combat magic you learned in Valisias led to the creation of some wonderfully effective trap spells. Never leave home without them.

The beating of wings gave you pause as you set another circle down. You looked up at the canopy of leaves above you. A monster, judging by the sound of it. You could hear her drop altitude until she was just above the leaves, and then soar skyward. Probably just curious.  
The harpy dipped through the canopy and alighted upon a branch. Looking down at you, she emitted an excited squawk and dove at you.  
You used your magic to bend a thick branch into her path. The bird-woman hit it face first, wings comically shooting out in front of her while her body smacked into the tree. Her limp form bounced off another branch and landed in a heap at the edge of your camp.  
The harpy wailed and sat up, blood dripping from her nose.

“OOOOOWWWW! That really huuuurrrrttt!” she sobbed.

“Who the hell are you?” you asked. Looks like this was just some random monster.

“I’m Coludo, you idiot!” said the harpy, rubbing her nose.

“I suppose that was the wrong question to ask. Are you on your own?” you asked.

“Yes.” She sniffed.

You sighed. “That’s a relief. I’m sorry about your nose, I thought you were with the Kamaka Shogunate.”

“No, not anymore.”

You balked at her answer. “Oh, you… were part of the shogunate?”

“I was a while ago, yeah.” Said Coludo.

“What made you leave?” you asked.

“They said that there was a husband out there that could make all your wishes come true, so I went looking for him. All I found was you.” Pouted Coludo.

“Who’s ‘they?’” you asked.

“The girls.” Said the harpy.

“Who are the girls?!” you shouted.

“They’re the girls!” Coludo shouted back, matching your tone.

“Culo, I NEED-“

“Coludo.”

“Coludo. I NEED to know, who were these girls, and are they a part of the Kamaka Shogunate.” You said slowly.

“They’re a bunch of species. Manticore, succubus, beelzebub… I don’t know.” Said the harpy.

“And they’re not part of the Kamaka Shogunate?” you asked.

“No. Not anymore.” Said Coludo.

You gulped. “Coludo, did they defect too?”

“Yeah.”

“You mentioned you left the shogunate ‘a while ago.’ When did those girls leave?”

“Same time as me.”

You got the sensation that something terrible was about to transpire. “And when was that?”

“This morning.”

Oh, fuck.

Running over to your fire, you quickly smothered it. All you could hope for now was that none of the other pursuers saw you. Foolish! You should have considered that there could be other forces besides formal armies to contend with on your trip.

“Coludo, how far behind were the others?” you asked.

“I dunno, why would I wait for them?” she asked, spreading herself out on a bed of ferns.

Over the usual din of the forest, you became aware of a faint hum. The whine intensified as you listened.

“I SMELL HIM!” shrieked a monster in the distance.

A beelzebub shot through the trees at you. You swatted her aside with ease. A cacophony of screeches and wings ripped through the tranquil forest as a mob of monsters descended upon your location.

Monster after monster fell as you smacked and swatted every harlot and hussy that threw themselves at you. Despite your injuries, this fight was shaping up to be far easier than dealing with Nokoribi. All you had to do was disrupt their flight, and gravity took care of the rest. By quickly alternating between incoming flying monsters and the ones you had already knocked out of the sky, the majority of the rouge squadron were unconscious or incapacitated in a matter of minutes. Only a manticore and succubus remained standing.

“Wait! Wait! Calm down, human. You’ve made your point.” Pleaded the succubus, raising her hands.

The manticore likewise raised her paws, but started to slink to your right.

“Clearly you’ve bested us. It was wrong of us to attack you like this.” Continued the succubus.

“Stop. I know what you’re trying to do.” You said.

“I’m not trying to do anything!” said the succubus.

“Yes, you are. I know how this works.” You sighed.

“I solemnly swear in the name of the Demon Lord Herself: I’m not going to attack you…”

You slowly blinked at her.

“-But SHE is!” cackled the succubus.

A handful of spines whistled through the air and bounced off your ward. The succubus’s face drained of color. You cast an unamused look over at the manticore to your right.

“Shit…” muttered the manticore.

You latched onto the scruff of her neck using magic and tossed her next to the succ. The succubus watched her feline friend flop onto the ground next to her and gave you a sheepish grin.

“Uhh… I guess we’ll be going then.” Said the succubus taking a step back.

You grabbed her by her wrists and pinned her against the nearest tree. She yelped and thrashed about. As she squirmed, you walked up to her so as to conserve your mana.

“You FIEND! This was your plan all along, was it? To get rid of the others so that you could ravage me? Fine! Do your worst! My body can endure any retribution you can mete out!” said the succubus.

“Stop that.” You said.

The succubus puckered her lips and tilted her chin up, despite her incessant wriggling in your magic. Her freakishly long tongue flicked out from between her lips to see if your face was closing in on her own.

“I said knock it off! I need information.” You said.

The succubus opened her eyes and pouted. “You’ll never get a WORD out of me, mage!”

“Alright, fine. I’ll ask the manticore. She’s cuter anyways.” You said, letting her flop to the ground.

“Really?” asked the manticore, looking up at you hopefully from the ground.

“HER?! I’m LEAGUES cuter than her! She’s a mangy beast!” protested the succubus.

“Miss, is there an army of monsters hunting me down?” you asked the manticore sweetly.

She blushed and scrunched her shoulders up, partially hiding her face in her neck fluff. “Yeah…”

“TADARI!” shouted the succubus.

“What?” retorted the manticore.

“Thank you, Tadari.” You said.

“You’re going to cave?! Just like that?!” asked the succubus.

“That’s rich coming from you! I’ve seen phantoms with give less dramatic performances than the one you just gave.”

“I- wha- you- I had him eating out of the palm of my hand before YOU interrupted.” Said the succubus.

“You couldn’t seduce a sex addict in a brothel.” Said the manticore.

The succubus shrieked and pounced on the manticore to defend the honor of her impugned sexual skills. Turning your back on the cat (and sex demon) fight, you quickly packed your things and hurried off. Looks like camping was going to have to wait.

~~~~~~~~

“General, a message from the front.” Said a harpy.

Gakke took the note from her soldier and unfurled it.

“Dear sis,

Apparently, a bunch of my girls decided to cut across the mountains to intercept the human. Not sure if they’re working with me anymore. Don’t know how many left.

Love,  
Kaizo ❤”

“That IDIOT.” Growled Gakke, crumpling the note.

“Err, she also instructed me to give you this note after you opened the first one.” Said the harpy.

Gakke read the second note.

“P.S. Don’t get mad. I can handle my soldiers. You’re going to start whistling if you keep steaming in that tin can of yours.”

“I’m going to put my mace through her skull when I catch her… How far ahead is her squadron?” said Gakke.

“The front or the back?” asked the harpy.

Gakke grinded her teeth. “Both.”

“Some stragglers are only a few kilometers away, near the mouth of the pass. Though, by the way they’ve set up camp, I’m not sure if they intend to rendezvous with the main force anymore. Your sister is with a small vanguard force, a kilometer or two ahead of the main force. Though, that distance seems to be growing. The bulk of her soldiers are spread out in between. We're about half a day behind Kaizo herself, but that distance is growing as we speak.” Said the harpy.

“I’m surprised that they managed to find their way through a strait pass.” Huffed Gakke.

“General, remember when you also asked me to report any unordinary movements? It looked as if some of the army was trickling south.”

“How many?”

“Not many. Compared to the rest of them, that is. I don’t know where they were headed or what their purpose was. I doubt your sister dispatched them.”

“My sister probably didn’t tell them why we’re out here in the first place. Go, keep track of Kaizo as best you can. Continue to report back to me of her whereabouts and movements. If she acts out of line, you have my permission to invoke my name to make her behave. And tell her that if she can’t keep her army in line, I’ll do it for her.” Said Gakke.

“Yes, General.” The harpy saluted and flew away.

“Uhh… Lieutenant, brew me a cup of that herbal tea that relives headaches when we set up camp.” Said Gakke.

“I’m already preparing the blend.” Said the arachne.

~~~~~~~

“Boss, it’s getting late. We should find somewhere to stop.” Said a raiju.

“Hmm… I suppose. Let’s see how many rooms this inn has!” said Kaizo, pointing to a worn sign by the side of the road, pointing north.

“Not enough for all of us, that’s for sure.”

“It might be a big inn! Besides, a bunch of the girls split away, remember?” said Kaizo.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to just let them go?” asked the raiju.

“Bah! We have the compass. They’ll never catch him. If those idiots could hunt a man, they would have found one already.” Said Kaizo.

“…We’re still single.” Said the raiju.

“Not for long! Once I bag this cutie, mama will make sure everyone who helped gets their own dick to ride!” said Kaizo, throwing her arm over the raiju’s shoulder.

“You’re going to take him for yourself? I thought your mother wanted him unraped.”

“We’ll see. I was talking to Noko, and she said he was pretty cute. If he’s handsome enough, I might just…”

Kaizo chuckled to herself. “He’s gotta go to one of us, right? May as well be me.”

“You’re going to get us all pulverized.” Sighed the raiju.

“Nonsense! Momma loves me the most, even if she won’t admit it. Look! We’re here. Let’s see how many people we can squeeze in.” said Kaizo.

The door slid open as the oni reached for it. An inari scowled up at the red-skinned woman.

“Hello, hostess~” said Kaizo.

“Leave.”

Kaizo smiled and snorted. “Is that any way to treat your guests?”

“All I see is invaders.”

“Invaders, huh? That’s harsh. But I can see how you would draw that conclusion…” Kaizo moved to the side to give the fox woman a better view of the stream of monsters haphazardly traveling along the road.

“I don’t have room in my inn for even one of you. Leave.” The inari tried to shut the door. Kaizo grabbed it and wrenched it back open.

“Hey, hey, hey! You didn’t even allow us to introduce ourselves!” said Kaizo.

“I know who you are!” spat the inari.

“Oh? Do you now. And who might that be?” asked Kaizo.

“You’re a piece of slime that leaked out of Kamaka. And if you know what’s good for you-” The inari conjured a ball of fire in her hands. Six tails fanned out from behind her. “You’ll hurry back.”

Kaizo whistled. “Oooh look at her! Good thing she gave us a warning, eh?”

The monsters around Kaizo snickered and jeered.

“What’s the matter, fox? Afraid we’ll track mud on your carpet? Worried about potential damages? Just one night is all we ask. We can be reasonable.” Said Kaizo. The other monsters laughed.

“One second would be too long for the likes of you.” Said the inari.

“Boss, ask her about the human. Maybe she’s seen him.” Whispered the raiju.

“Oh! Good call. Oi, fox. You happen to see a human around here? Male, foreigner. You’d know him if you saw him.” Said Kaizo.

“The only patrons we’ve had in the past week are regular clients.” Said the inari.

“You’re SURE you haven’t seen him? You’ve been acting pretty defensively. Maybe you’ve got him in there right now-“

Kaizo reached for the door and the inari seared her finger with a blast of fire. Her dress billowed as the air around her shimmered. Embers began to appear around the inari, wafting around her in the heat. Kaizo stepped back and chuckled.

“You’re no fun, you know that? I just wanted to look around and get a drink. We’ll leave.” Said Kaizo.

“Boss?” asked the raiju.

“I said we’re leaving. We can set up camp somewhere else.” Said Kaizo. She handed the raiju the compass. “See if the human is still heading north.

She looked down at the inari and grinned. “You’re lucky mama said to be on my best behavior. Maybe I’ll come pay a visit to this place when I’ve got that cute little mage hanging off my waist.”

“He’s still moving north.” Said the raiju, handing her back the compass.

The air around the inari smoldered as she held Kaizo’s gaze.

“Good talk. I’ll see you around, miss fox. Ta-ta!~”

Kaizo gave the signal for her merry band to move out. Trudging along after her, the slower monsters followed her in search of more favorable sleeping accommodations.


	47. Chapter 47

“YOU’RE MINE, HUMAN!” roared a thunderbird. Lightning arced of her talons as she swooped at you.

You grabbed her leg with magic and slammed her into the ground. These shits had been attacking more and more frequently and you were NOT in the mood. You had hoped that after defeating the small band of monsters that had cut away from the Kamaka army you would be able to get some sleep. No such luck. You had only been out for a few hours before another monster found you. So far, they had been primarily avian, but you worried that soon their bipedal counterparts would catch up to you as well. 

At least this made them easy to deal with. If they rushed you, you’d be sleeping on a feather mattress by now. Was the commander’s plan to whittle you down? To keep sending one monster at a time to hamper your progress and keep you from resting?

You looked back at the crumpled thunderbird. It didn’t seem like it… That they all proclaimed you belong to them indicated that they were acting for themselves. And none of them seemed to know you were packing magic. Every single feather-brain had tried the same ‘snatch-and-grab’ technique that all harpies employed. Did the commander hide your true nature from her troops to dissuade them from taking you themselves?

You let out a low growl and pulled your cloak down farther. All this speculation was making your head hurt. Why the hell did it have to be so damn bright out here?! Thank fuck Heida was in view.

A small, traditional looking Zipangunese town nestled in a hollow in the central mountain range. Water burbled down a stream through the center of town, slowly twisting the great wooden wheel that powered the timber mill. A pair of small children squealed as they chased each other across one of the small wooden bridges that crossed the smaller streams elsewhere in the town. Already you could catch the faintest whiff of fresh-baked bread wafting over on the breeze. A man walked hand in hand with a centaur as she pulled a cart of freshly cut trees behind her.

The idyllic scene was enough to stop you in your tracks. A quiet, picturesque town in the country, with nary a fornicating couple in sight. You had grown accustomed to seeing monsters boning in public, but that didn’t mean you didn’t miss trips to the grocery store that didn’t involve you witnessing someone get creampie’d. Places like this, miraculously untouched by the all-consuming hedonism around you, made you miss Earth like nothing else. Simple wasn’t the right word to describe the village, but it was the only one you could think of. Hobbling faster, you hurried down the hill towards the tranquil sight below.

~~~~~~~

Kaizo bent down to inspect the latest downed harpy. Rolling the girl over, she gently slapped her awake.

“Wha-? Huh-? Did we fuck?” sputtered the harpy, eyes rolling in her head.

“If we did, you’d be feeling it.” Said Kaizo.

The harpy squinted and gasped. “Kaizo!”

“Yes, it’s me~ You’re ravishing leader.” Said Kaizo, running a hand through her hair and giving it a flick.

“I- err… I was just scouting ahead, that’s all!” said the harpy.

“Course you were!” said Kaizo, palming the harpy’s head and ruffling her hair.

The harpy smiled sheepishly at her. Kaizo chuckled.

“So, where is he?” asked the oni.

“Huh?” The harpy’s face paled.

“The human. Where is he?” said Kaizo. Her grip tightened on the bird’s head. The harpy began to tremble.

“I-I don’t know.”

Kaizo gasped and clapped her free hand onto her cheek. “You don’t know?! That’s terrible. Oh, tsk tsk tsk. What a shame that is.”

Kaizo hugged the harpy, smashing her chest into the poor girl’s face. “Here you are, so FAR ahead of ME, your BOSS, taking the initiative, and all for naught in the end. I hope he didn’t HURT you too bad.”

Kaizo punctuated her words by squeezing tighter. The harpy’s talons kicked at the air as she was pressed deeper into her leader’s cleavage. Deciding she had had enough, Kaizo pulled her free and held her aloft by the throat. The harpy gasped and tried to pry herself free with her wings.

“But I appreciate that forward thinking. After all, you WERE scouting for that human, right? You weren’t thinking about taking him for yourself, RIGHT? I’d be VERY upset if that were the case.”

“No, Kaizo! It wasn’t like that!” choked the harpy.

“I know it wasn’t.” Kaizo set her down. The harpy collapsed to her knees and coughed.

“That human is MINE. And this is a group effort. We’re all in this together, so I need team players. Understand, uhh… What’s your name?”

“Chrymin…” mewled the harpy.

“Understand, Chrymin?” said Kaizo.

Chrymin nodded.

“Atta girl. Now get back in line.”

Kaizo stretched. “Eyy sparks, which way?”

Her raiju lieutenant pulled out the compass and cast the spell. The needle snapped straight ahead.

“Straight ahead, boss.”

“We’re getting close now. We’re finding more and more ‘scouts’ by the mile.” Chuckled Kaizo.

~~~~~~~~

“Pardal, are you sure this is a good idea?” asked an amazon.

The ocelomeh stopped chewing the haunch of meat she was eating to stare at the massive woman. Her freshly claimed husband likewise paused his licking under the table. She extended the claws on the paw holding his head a little farther and shoved him back against her lips.

“Seems like a pretty good idea to me.” Said Pardal, sighing with satisfaction.

“I know all seems well now, but…” the amazon looked out the door. A swarm of imps dragged a man through the streets, cackling with glee as they went.

“But…?” Pardal cocked an eyebrow.

“Pardal, this CANNOT end well. We need to leave!” insisted the amazon.

“YOU are free to do whatever you want.” Snapped the ocelomeh.

“Pardal, this is serious! We’re cut off from the main force now! The human isn’t even here!” said the amazon.

“He might be.” Said Pardal.

The amazon glared at her. Pardal sighed and kicked her feet up onto the table, allowing her husband a better angle to continue servicing her.

“Look, Thymiscra, you didn’t have to follow me here. I said he MIGHT be down here.”

“You sounded damn sure when you told everyone that the mage was heading south instead of north. What a load of shit…” growled Thymiscra.

“Load of shit?! He’s a mage, dumbass! That means he does mage things! He’s smart, he thinks! One of the gals who was with Nokoribi when they cornered him said that Noko had some sort of spell to track him; some sort of anchor to trace where he was going. Do you REALLY think a guy who could beat down Nokoribi would be dumb enough to let himself be hounded like that? No! He’d use his wizard bullshit to make the rest of us THINK he was going one way, and then bolt in the opposite direction. Ergo, while the rest of the Kaizo’s forces head north, those of us in the know go SOUTH.”

“THAT’S why we’re here, ransacking this village?! You shouted that you knew where the human was and that you would lead us to him!” said Thymiscra.

“I did, and I will. Calm down. If he’s not here, we’ll go onto the next village. Well, some of you will. I have to get this cutie back home, break him in proper~” The man whimpered into her crotch and she chuckled.

“You bastard! You just wanted to raid a village!” said Thymiscra.

“Hey, I wanted to find the human just as much as the next gal. He’s a mage after all. By the Tezcatlipoca, I hate mages… Where to men get the idea that they can fight with those chosen by the gods?”

Thymiscra gave a begrudging nod. She had a point there. How other monsters let their men get so uppity was beyond her.

“Anyways, who cares if things got a little out of hand? A bunch of us got new husbands as a consolation prize and a nice dowry from these kindly townsfolk.” Said Pardal, inspecting a golden bangle on her wrist.

“We shouldn’t be raiding so wantonly.” Said Thymiscra.

“Ah! ‘We’ is the operative word here. Tell me, oh she of considerable stature, why are YOU here, hmm? If you though it was such a bad idea to come down here, such an AWFUL thing to loot this hick village, then why did you come here in the first place? Why are you still here?” asked Pardal.

Thymiscra swallowed and looked at the floor.

“That’s what I thought. Admit it: you WANTED to raid this village. Just like the rest of them. Even if you had doubts about finding that human, you still went south with the rest of us. You KNEW that there was a chance to get a man. To jump the line. Why wait for boss-lady to ration you a dick when there were some ripe for the taking just a stone’s throw away? And now that you’re here and you didn’t get a husband, you act all high and mighty. I wonder, Thymiscra…” The ocelomeh’s toe-claws curled as her husband hit a sweet spot. “…If you jump, would those pouches you’re wearing jingle?”

Thymiscra’s face burned red. Pardal sneered at her.

“Guess that answers the question of whether or not this was a good idea.” Sighed Pardal.

Thymiscra turned and stormed out the door.

“Hey! If you’re lucky, maybe you can find a human stuffed in some cupboard!” Pardal called after her. She laughed and eased back into her chair.

“Sheesh. A good idea… Can you believe that bitch? The audacity.” Pardal rubbed her husband’s head. Taking a nearby wine skin, she drizzled the red liquid down her abs towards his face. “Don’t let those lips get chapped, meat~”

The man coughed as the wine ran over his face. “You bitch, you won’t get away with this!”

Pardal bent one of her legs behind his head and mashed his face into her cunt. “First of all, don’t EVER talk to me that way again. Second, in case you haven’t noticed, I already did~ Who’s going to stop me, huh?”

~~~~~~~

“Lord Antozo! Emergency!”

A centaur skidded to a halt on the polished stone floor of Antozo’s court. His wife perked up, ethereal fox ears flicking towards the approaching monster. Such a disruption was unheard of in the city of Soheiya. Surrounded by fertile land and situated at an intersection of important trade routes, Soheiya was as prosperous as it was peaceful. Decades could pass before the word ‘emergency’ was repeated in this court.

“What is it?” asked Antozo urgently.

“There’s been an attack!”

His blood ran cold. “An attack…?”

“Saikeiba, they came out of the pass from the north. Overwhelmed-“

“The pass? Kamaka?!” said Antozo.

“Yes…” panted the centaur.

Nobles began to chatter amongst themselves. Since Moegara’s rise to power, many nobles had speculated that her conquest would not end at the central mountain range. Villagers of the towns and villages in the foothills nearer to the southern pass through the mountains echoed these sentiments, along with their fears. Antozo, a competent leader and a sympathetic soul, had promised them that if tragedy ever befell them, they could call upon Soheiya for aid. Those who insisted on more received a deal purchasing weapons and training from the city. And now, the worth of their investments was about to be tested…

“Okashimo, send a detachment of guards to Saikeiba at once! Miss, how many-“

“Lady Xiphas has already rallied the militias from the surrounding villages. They expect to retake Saikeiba within a day.” Said the centaur.

“I see…” Antozo reclined in his seat. At least that was dealt with. A fort would have to be constructed to keep those savages on their half of the island.

“Your grace, there’s an army out there! The force that sacked Saikeiba was a renegade band that broke away from the army. We need Soheiya’s forces to repel them!” pleaded the centaur.

“And you shall have it. Where is this scourge? I’ll see them scorched off the face of the earth.” Said Antozo.

“Traveling north, close to the mountains. They’re nearing Heida as we speak!”

“Okashimo! Scramble the dragoons. And send the heavy cavalry in after them. I want to make a statement to these Kamaka upstarts what happens when they tread in civilized lands. We’ll send food and supplies to the villages they’ve attacked as soon as our supply lines are secure.” Said Antozo.

“At once, my lord.”

The yuki-onna hurried off to inform the troops.

“Kamaka… Bah! Scribe! Fetch the parchment. I need a message sent to the other nobles.” Said Antozo.

“Husband, just what do you intend to tell them?” asked Antozo’s wife, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and resting her head on him.  
“That bastard Moegara has been a thorn in all our sides for too long. This is the last straw. It’s time we put that ‘shogun’ in her place!” said Antozo, pounding his chair.

His wife hushed him and kissed his cheek. “You’re grinding your teeth. Calm yourself, dear. If you’re going to war, you’ll need a level head. Are you sure that the other cities will even join you?”

“If they have any sense they will. The only reason that Moegara has grown this powerful is because we let her. If she continues to expand, it’ll be the end of us all.” Said Antozo. He squeezed his wife’s hand. “Besides, I know at least ONE city that will help us…”

~~~~~~~

“General!”

Gakke had come to dread the harpy’s call. A Pavlovian response to the impending news she always delivered.

“General! It’s worse than we thought. The rouge detachment sacked the town of Saikeiba. I tried to stop them, General, but…”

Gakke fought the urge to scream. “How bad is it?”

“Bad. Every unmarried man was taken. The soldiers also plundered a considerable amount of money and loot from the town.” Said the harpy.

“DAMN IT ALL!” roared Gakke. “All they had to do, all SHE had to do was keep quiet until we found the human. When I catch up to her, I’m going to…”

Gakke’s composure broke and she flew into a fit of rage. Tearing her mace off her hip, she pulverized a tree to splinters with a few strokes. After a few deep breaths, she put her mace back onto her hip and turned to her troops.

“DOUBLE TIME! No resting! We need to catch up to Kaizo NOW!”

Gakke’s troops didn’t flinch. Keeping pace with her giant strides, the army clattered along behind her as they headed north.

~~~~~~~

It was no surprise that the unicorn you had been looking for came to meet you in the middle of town. No doubt she had already been informed by several different villagers that there was a foreigner that looked like he had lost a fight with an ushi asking after her. You had seen half a dozen monsters look your way and gasp, only to bolt away in the same direction.

“What happened to you?!” asked the unicorn.

“Please, for the love of Eros, can you ask me that AFTER I get some treatment?” you pleaded. Now was NOT the time, lady! Especially considering the army nipping at your heels.

“Of course! This way!” she said.

You rested your weight against her as she led you through the tiny town to a shop with a healer’s insignia on the sign. A bell chimed as she pushed open the double doors.

{Honey! There you are! You need to go find a human in town! Three people have been in here in the past five minutes a-}

A slender, bespectacled man appeared from behind a curtain doorway speaking in Zipangunese. With all this excitement, you were getting seriously behind on your reps. You’d have to make that up later. The man gawked at you for a second and cleared his throat.

“Ah, I see you found him…”

“Dear, prepare a cot. He needs to lie down.” Said the unicorn.

She guided you to the back of the shop. A pair of cots sat in a cozy sunlit room, each with a rolling cart next to them. The unicorn eased you into the nearest one and helped you take off your boots and shirt.

“Oh gods…” murmured the unicorn.

“It’s worse than it looks.” You said. In a sense that was true. The bruise you had incurred when you hit the water had begun to heal, turning your once purple torso into a gnarled patchwork of mottled skin. In the center of it all was a bright yellow splotch over your rib, staring up at the poor horse-woman.

“How did this-“ began the man.

“I got found by the Kamaka shogunate. I tussled with one of Moegara’s daughters. I jumped off a waterfall and didn’t stick the landing. I’ve been on the run for days now. I haven’t slept for more than eight hours in the past two days, and I’m being pursued by an unknown quantity of pissed off rapists who are out for my dick. Now would you PLEASE heal me so I can be on my way before they arrive?”

You flopped your head back down on the pillow. You didn’t mean to snap at them. They were just trying to help. The past week had been one of the worst since you arrived here; and that was saying something. You had been pushing your body past its limits for days, and it was starting to protest.

“Oh, that’s… Oh.” Was all the unicorn could muster.

“I’m sorry. I- It’s been a long week.” You said.

“So I see.” Said the unicorn’s husband, eyeing your bruise. “You said that you’re being chased? By monsters?”

“Yes. Apparently Moegara has a score to settle with me. I don’t want to put you in any danger, but I need your help.” You said.

“Moegara, hmm? That’s troubling indeed…” said the man.

“Troubling or not, it’s clear that he needs help. What’s your name, human?” said the unicorn.

“Anon.”

“I’ll heal your rib, but it’s going to take some time.”

“By all means.” You said. 

Time was something you didn’t have much of. If the treatment took too long, you might literally be caught with your pants down if Kamaka soldiers found you in the middle of a magical operation. It was a risk you had to take. Running was futile. You could hide, but these were monsters; it would only prolong the inevitable. That they could make a beeline for you from miles away was testament to their tracking ability. Not even the best students at Valisias were as skilled at tracking as these Kamaka monsters. You frowned. Come to think of it, weren’t they a little TOO good? If harpies were scouting your position and reporting back, it would be understandable that they could follow your movements so precisely. But every bird you shot out of the sky seemed to have the idea that they could take you for themselves; they weren’t acting as part of an army. Scent was too unreliable to track you from such a distance. Monsters like hellhounds may be able to catch whiffs of you, but a shift in the wind for even a day could throw them off a trail if they were far enough away. No, the approaching army was too certain of their movement. They KNEW that you were heading north. But if it wasn’t scent or sight that was guiding them, what was?

The unicorn’s hands and horn began to glow, and you felt a soothing warmth spread through your chest. You inhaled sharply as a tingling numbness set in around your rib. Closing your eyes, you patiently waited for her to finish.

~~~~~~

You woke with a start. Birds chirped their warbling songs to each other outside the window. Panic overtook you until you remembered where you were and how you had gotten there. You looked down at your chest.

The unicorn’s magic had done wonders for you. You were still a little sore, but the biting pain in your rib and the persistent ache in your side was alleviated. Reaching down to touch your toes, you tested your flexibility. Felt good! Looks like a little sleep and a dash of magic was all you needed to recover after all.

The scent of food made your mouth water. Seeing that the unicorn had left you some food on the rolling stand beside your desk, you ravenously wolfed down the meal. Sumptuous! Finally, something other than dried meat or root stew.

“Oh! You’re awake!”

You looked at the unicorn, roll hanging out of your mouth.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked.

You wiped your face and choked down the food in your mouth. “Yes, very much so.”

“Thank goodness.” She eyed the empty platter and giggled. “I see you like the food.”

“It was delicious. Better than anything I’ve ever made, but that’s not saying much.”

“Let us know if you want more. You must be starving after sleeping all night!” she said.

“All night…?” you echoed.

“Yes, you were out like a light the second I started healing you. Pharmacomancy is a useful tool, but you still need your sleep!” said the unicorn.

You flipped out of bed and threw on your clothes. If you slept all night, that meant that whoever was following you was probably all but upon you now.

“Sir? What are you doing?” asked the unicorn nervously.

“You’ve been a great help to me, but I have to get out of here. It’s not safe for you as long as I’m here.” You said.

“Foreigner, what are you, anyways?” Her voice was tinged by fear.

She looked away and rubbed her arm. “Perhaps that was the wrong thing to ask. While you were asleep, I used palpitation spell. Your mana signature was… incomprehensible, to be frank.”

“That’s a question I don’t have time to answer, I’m afraid.” You said.

“It wasn’t just the mana! You have a curse on you! There’s some sort of spell woven into your soul.” She said.

“I know.” You said.

“Foreigner, you’re a man with a mana signature that reads like a lunatic’s ramblings, looking like no other human I’ve ever seen before, bearing a curse on your soul, claiming to be followed by one of the most dangerous warlords on the island. Now that I’ve healed you, I think I’m entitled to an answer: what have you brought upon Heida?” she said.

Her accusation hurt more than your rib ever did. You never thought you would cower before a unicorn, but seeing her glare at you was too much.

“It would take a week to give you a thorough explanation of the events that conspired to bring me here. Suffice it to say, I’ve slipped the noose once or twice and it’s cost me dearly. But I swear to you: the Kamaka soldiers following me are the only thing that poses a threat to you.”

“How reassuring.”

You swallowed. What did she want you to say? You told her that the shogunate was after you. SHE took you in.

“You’ll be fine. It’s me they’re after. Once I’m gone, you’ll be safe.” You shoved past her through the curtain doors.

“And if we’re not?” asked the unicorn.

You clenched the handful of coins you were dumping on the counter.

“I asked you a question-“

“I know you did!” you snapped. “Why the hell DID you take me in if you were so worried about your village getting raided, huh?”

“You needed help! I didn’t think that Moegara would commit so much for a single human! I thought you were some fool who caught the attention of some band of brigands and mistook them for an army!” she said. Her lip quivered and she wiped her eyes. “Foreigner, please. I’ve seen the mana you carry. Don’t just abandon us to our fate!”

“Me BEING here is what’s sealing that fate.” You said.

“Fine! Go then! And keep your money; it’d only be stolen from me when they come!” shouted the unicorn.

You covered your face as she threw the handful of coins at you. Ducking out of the shop, you quickly absconded before heavier things could be thrown.

That bitch. What about this situation was so hard to understand!? If you stayed here, they were sure to find you! Getting out of here was the only chance this village had to avoid being caught in Moegara’s warpath.

Something hit you in the thigh. Your wards flickered to life around you and you wheeled around. A human, only a couple years old, looked up in horror as blue light enveloped your body. A salamander the same age as the kid sprinted up to him and pounced on his shoulders. Realizing that he was looking at something, she looked up at you. Her face was struck with wonder as she saw you wreathed in light.

{Are you a MAGE?!} she screeched in Zipangunese.

“Huh? Oh, uhh… {Mage, yes}” you said.

Her tail blazed “WOOOOAAAHHH! {Do you fight stuff?}”

You blinked.

{Fight! Fight?} said the salamander, throwing some punches in the air.

“Ah! No, no. {Me too old for you}.” You said.

Her lip curled in disgust. She looked at the boy.

{Sieglig! Your mama teaches you Common! Ask him if he’s an adventurer!} said the salamander, shaking her poor friend.

The little boy gulped. “Are you… adventure?”

You thought for a moment. Could you be called an adventurer? You didn’t plunder dungeons, raid bandit camps, or explore uncharted wilderness. In fact, most of your time in the mamono world had been spent trying to keep yourself alive and questing for poon. Still, you supposed that some of your exploits probably qualified you for the title of ‘adventurer’ even if it was a loose definition.

{Yes.} you said.

The salamander squealed. You feared for the poor boy’s spine as she shook him and hopped up and down.

{No way! A real live battlemage! Here! Sieglig! Make him do magic!} said the salamander.

{Onychylus, he’s probably busy.} said the boy, clinging to her arm.

{You’re just scared, you baby! Ask him!}

You didn’t understand much of what they said, but you knew they were talking about you. The boy cleared his throat.

“Do... magic?” he offered.

The salamander rabidly nodded at you.

“Okay, fine. One trick.” You said. Snatching up a loose rock from the side of the cobble street, you tossed it into the air with magic and blasted it to dust.

“OOOOOHHHH! {SIEGLIG! THAT WAS SO COOL! Did you see it?! BLAM, gone! Imagine if I could do that! Make him do it again!}” said the salamander. She thrust her palm out and made an explosion noise.

As much as you’d love to flex your magic on these kids all day, you had to get out while you had the chance.

{I go. Bye.} you said, giving them a wave.

{WAIT! Take me with you! Teach me your ways!} The salamander latched onto your cloak, dragging behind you.

{ Onychylus, stop! Get off of him!} The boy grabbed her tail and pulled until she was suspended between you two.

{NOOOO! IT’S SO BORING HERE! NOTHING EVER HAPPENS!} wailed the ‘mander.

You pried her little claws out of your cloak and she flopped to the ground. The boy began yammering at her as tears rolled down her face. Sorry little one, but an apprentice was something you couldn’t afford right now.

What you DID need was more food. Hopefully the market had some good trail food. You should also pick up some spices while you were here. Now that you thought about it, wasn’t there a recipe that you were dying to try?

Pulling out your cookbook, you flipped to one of the pages you had marked. There it was: game bird over a bed of greens. Looked good! Shame it required so many spices; you wouldn’t be able to carry enough for more than one serving without taking up too much space.  
A glow caught your eye. Though you stood under the eve of a building, it seemed like there was some sort of light emanating from the back of the book. Flipping through the pages you tried to find the source. As you turned another page, you stifled a gasp. There, on an inconspicuous page detailing a mushroom broth, a golden magical circle glowed on the page. The circle shimmered and faded, leaving nothing but a ratio of water and salt in its wake.

Your blood went cold. So that’s how they knew. Suddenly Kamaka’s seemingly precognitive awareness of your whereabouts didn’t seem so miraculous after all. Oh God, what should you do? Destroy it? No! If you did, the army would go straight to your last known location. You had to get this thing as far away from Heida as possible. Cursing your naivete, you sprinted off to the market.

Rows of stalls and shops lined the river flowing through Heida. Unlike the smaller footbridges that spanned the smaller streams, the bridges that crossed the river were wide enough to accommodate the foot traffic of a marketplace. Rows of lanterns and signs hung from the fronts of shops and between buildings. You would have loved to stop and eat at one of the little cafés and take in the view, but that would have to happen some other day. Ignoring the stares and murmurs of the natives, you scanned the signs for an adventuring shop or dry goods supplier. Seeing a collection of produce stands farther up the street, you wove through the crowd.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can find trail provisions?” you asked a troll selling some sort of tuber.

“Uhh…” she looked at a nereid that had appeared next to you to purchase one of the troll’s vegetables. The water woman gave her a confused shrug and left a coin.

{Travel food?} you asked.

“Ah! Go that!” she said cheerily, pointing up the road. You thanked her and moved on.

Looks like there was some sort of spectacle going on. The flow of the crowd was giving a stall a wide berth. Many of them paused to watch whatever was happening. Shuffling through the throng, you looked over to see what all the fuss was about.

Several monsters were standing around a trembling holstaurus. The weapons on their hips and the way they carried themselves made it clear that these were not local adventurers. An arachne, a dark elf, a werecat, a black harpy, a succubus and a goblin. They stood leering at the crowd as the werecat interrogated the shopkeeper.

{Listen milk-spigot, either you hand over the food, or I we TAKE the food.} Said the werecat. She stabbed an apple with her knife and took a bite out of it. {What the FUCK is so hard about this, huh? I’m getting a little pissed off.}

{P-please, just leave.}

{LEAVE?! Or what, huh? There are HUNDREDS of us on the way here, you know. And if they find out that you didn’t give us what we want, they’ll take every last piece of silver in this village.} said the werecat.

You had the sickening suspicion that you knew where these ladies came from. All the monsters around you started to whisper after the werecat finished her speech. Most looked fearful. A few even ran away. The cookbook felt heavier in your pack by the second. Forget food, you would have to forage. You had to get out of here.

A black harpy facing down the crowd with her back to the werecat suddenly glanced at you. She did a doubletake. Her red eyes went wide, and she staggered backward tapping her werecat friend on the back. Shit.

{What is it?! I’m in the middle of something!} snarled the werecat.

{Barmanie, look! It’s him! That’s the human!} said the harpy.

The half-dozen rouges and everyone in the crowd turned to look at you. Barmanie looked over her shoulder at you, gaping mouth still full of half-chewed apple.

{Hot damn! You’re right! Holy fuck, that was easy. And here I thought we would have to beat it out of these hicks. Shame.}

The monsters drew their weapons and sauntered towards you slowly. Townsfolk scampered away from you, forming a living wall of spectators on either side.

“Heya, cutie~ Don’t see too many foreigners around these parts. Hope my Common isn’t too rough.” Said the werecat.

“Are you part of Moegara’s army?” you asked.

The dark elf laughed. “Depends on what you mean by ‘part of,’ human. Sure, we traveled most of the way with Kaizo. But now? Now we’re independents~”

“Who is Kaizo?” you asked.

“So many questions! Are you too stupid to realize what kind of situation you’re in?” said the arachne exasperatedly.

“{Au contraire}, miss. I think it’s you lot that bit off more than you could chew. Now who is Kaizo and where is she?” you demanded.

“Human, we know you’re scared, but you really should be more polite with your owners.” Chided the succubus.

“You’ve got MUCH more immediate concerns than boss’s location.” Said the black harpy.

“Answer me, cat. Where is she?” you said.

“Cat!? Oh, human…” She ran her spikey tongue along the flat edge of her knife. “I am going to LOVE milking every last trace of that impudence out of your ragged body~”

The spider threw the webbing she had been discreetly weaving behind her back at you. It landed harmlessly on your ward.

“We got ‘em!” cheered the goblin.

“No, you idiot! Quick! Before he gets it off!” shouted the werecat.

The monsters leapt at you. Burning the webbing off with a quick pulse of magic, you slammed the succubus and dark elf together at the head. They collided with a wet thud and hit the ground. The arachne was too big and slow to dodge the mana shot you hit her with. As the werecat moved within striking distance, you wrenched the knife out of her hand and threw it at the harpy. The dagger landed squarely in her chest. She moaned and flopped out of the sky next to the succubus and dark elf. The goblin managed to attack your legs with a brutal swing from her club, but your ward stopped it cold. Was that just wood?! She would have broken your leg if you hadn’t shielded yourself. Flicking your wrist, you sent the tiny woman screaming over the balustrade and into the river.

Only the werecat was left now. Her tail was bushed out, and the hair on her head was on end. She scrambled back on all fours as you stepped over to her.

“Where is she?” you asked.

“I- I- I-“

You grabbed her with your magic and pinned her against the wall of a shop. “Where is Kaizo? Does she know I’m here? Answer me!”  
“She’s behind us! Probably a few hours away! She’s using some kind of spell to track you; I don’t know how precise it is!” blubbered Barmanie.

“Did she mention this town?”

“I don’t know! I never spoke with her, I was just following her so I could get a husband, I swear!”

“How many monsters does Kaizo have with her?” you asked.

“I don’t know!” shouted Barmanie. You squeezed her tighter. She yelped.

“We started with several hundred! I don’t know how many are left now, we’ve been hemorrhaging troops since we came through the pass! They say that Gakke’s army has one hundred and fifty soldiers!” cried the werecat.

“Who the hell is Gakke?” you asked.

“One of Moegara’s daughters! Big, huge! Strongest of them all! Real tight ass.” Said Barmanie.

“So, this Gakke is in charge?” you asked.

“No, Moegara sent them both. She doesn’t care which one gets you.” Panted Barmanie.

As your adrenaline began to fade, you realized that conducting that interrogation in public might not have been the wisest idea. Throngs of horrified monsters watched the flailing feline pinned to the wall as you squeezed answers out of her. You set Barmanie gently on the ground.

“You stick around, I still have questions for you. And if you even THINK about running off...” You snapped her dagger out of the harpy and crumpled it into a ball.

Barmanie watched the dented sphere roll towards her over the cobble. She gulped and nodded.

“I’ll just be… around… then.” She said weakly.

You turned to address the crowd. Some were angry. Some were confused. Everyone was fearful. So much for running. If this army had come all the way from the Southern pass, there wasn’t a cold chance in hell you could ever hope to be far enough away from Heida to conceal the town’s culpability in your escape. Even the most credulous monster would never believe that you came all this way only to bypass a village. There was no doubt about it; these villagers now shared the bed you had made for them.

Should you stay and fight? It was suicide, surely. There were not one, but TWO armies marching towards you right now. You could ask the villagers for help, but these weren’t fighters; they were farmers and lumberjacks. There probably weren’t enough weapons to arm even half of them. Fortifications would be worthless. The town was too exposed. Any crude barricade you could set up between now and Kaizo’s arrival would be easily circumvented by the horde. You could always try and lure them away when they arrived. Swagger out, mock the leader in front of her troops, and hightail it away from the town while you prayed that the mob forgot about the town. There was also the option to leave all together… Realistically, there was nothing you could do for these people. Wouldn’t it be better for Kaizo to find out that her prey had merely sojourned through the town? If she found out that Heida was succoring you, wouldn’t she be more inclined to deny them clemency?

A shimmer caught your eye. Across the river, the little salamander you had seen earlier was staring at you from between the rails of the balustrade. Her tail was raging. The boy stood next to her, hiding behind her shoulder. When you noticed her, she thrust some punches at you through the rails and laughed.

You smiled. Guess you’re right, tinymander. Clapping your hands together and taking a deep breath, you prepared to address the crowd and make what was probably going to be the biggest mistake of your life.

“Well folks, it would seem we have a problem on our hands…”


	48. Chapter 48

“WE have a problem?! It seems to me like YOU’RE the only problem here, foreigner.” Spat a giant ant.

You finished chugging another mana potion and stifled a belch. The crystalline flask vibrated in your trembling hands as you set it down next to the other empties. Just about at your limit. Juicing yourself was imperative when fighting an entire army, but damn if it didn’t make you feel like shit. Your body was already starting to protest the immense amount of mana you were imbibing, and keeping it down was getting harder by the sip. Already you felt like sparks were going to fly out of your fingertips.

“Look, I know this is a shitty situation I’ve dragged you all into, but we’re past blaming away our problems. Kaizo’s army will be here any minute now and we’ve got to be ready for her.” You said.

“Be ready? Do you expect us to FIGHT her?!” asked a man. His gnome wife wrapped one of her giant hands around his chest protectively.  
“No one who doesn’t want to fight has to. If you’d like to try and evacuate, be my guest. Just be warned, I have no idea where Kaizo’s forces are. For all I know, they could have surrounded us already.” You said.

The crowd exchanged nervous glances. Deciding that a produce market wasn’t the best place to inform the populace of their impending invasion, you quickly sought out the townhall, (or whatever the big building where the mayor did stuff was called in Zipangu), and let the citizens of Heida know what was coming. Naturally, they panicked. The mayor, an eloquent kejourou, quickly restored the peace with a speech smoother than her hair. Nevertheless, the animosity they felt towards you for possibly dooming their town hadn’t abated in the slightest.

“Just give him to the oni and be done with it!” said a nereid.

“It would be cruel to leave him like that. Clearly he doesn’t want to be ravaged by her.” Said a succubus.

“I don’t, and I don’t intend to be.” You said.

“Mr. Anonymous, I don’t relish the idea of handing you over to a tribe of barbarians, but I simply can’t allow Heida to be overrun with those vermin. Unless you have some sort of plan…” The kejourou trailed off.

“I’m working on it.” You grumbled, uncorking another flask. “How many weapons do we have?”

“Not enough to arm even half of us.” Said a salamander in the crowd.

You exhaled. “How many mamono can use magic for offensive or defensive purposes?”

The monsters looked at each other. Some of them quietly began discussing the merit of their inherent traits, trying to figure out ways to use their natural talents to their advantage.

“I know many of you have probably never been in a fight in your life, but it’s not as hard as it seems. Trust me.” You said.

“Oh yeah? And just how many armies have YOU tangled with, huh?” shouted a slime.

“Three.”

The monsters in the crowd balked at your answer.

“Well, two and a raiding party. And I guess the second time wasn’t really FIGHTING, more like pushing through…” You said.

“Are you… being facetious?” asked the kejourou.

“No! Listen, the odds are better than you think. We’ve all heard what the cat said: Kaizo’s army is disorganized and aggressive. Moreover, all those troops are spread out for miles behind her.” You said swinging Barmanie in her web cocoon. “As long as we can deal with a steady stream of Kamaka soldiers, we can hold out until the messenger harpy we sent can get help.”

“That could be days!” protested a succubus.

“Barmanie, when Kaizo’s army gets here, do you think that they’ll just take me and leave?” you asked the bound-up cat.

“Kaizo might. The rest of the army? Probably not…” said Barmanie.

“See? This isn’t something you can ignore anymore. I’ll do everything I can to protect you, but I’ll have a much easier time defending Heida if you’re there helping me.” You said.

“I say we arm ourselves and THEN toss him to the Kamaka soldiers! As long as we can intimidate them enough, they’ll leave after they have him!” said the giant ant.

“Are you willing to bet every bachelor in town on that?” You finished the last mana potion. Whoever made those could use a few pointers on flavoring.

The single monsters in the town squirmed. There was no better trump card to pull; no sane monster would be willing to risk her potential husband on the hope that an army of notorious barbarians MIGHT leave them unharmed if they cooperated. It also helped any men remember that THEY were at stake themselves. Chances were that if any of them were taken, it would be a LONG time before they could convince their new wife to take a trip back home.

“You bastard…” muttered the ant.

“And today, I’m YOUR bastard.” You said.

“Anonymous, we don’t have any battle experience. There are only a handful of adventurers in the village! We need leaders.” Said the kejourou.

“I’ll organize you. Who has combat experience?” you asked.

A few monsters raised their hands.

“Alright. Everyone who’s willing to fight, stay here. Everyone who isn’t, get out and start fortifying your home. I need to see what I’m working with here.” You said.

Monsters shuffled out of the hall. When the flow of people out the door had subsided, you took a look at what was left. Not bad, all things considered. Most of the mamono that remained looked beefy enough to carry themselves in a fight. There were also some magician types scattered amongst them as well. Even the gnome and her husband had stayed. Excellent. Yeah, you could make this work…  
“Who has the weapons around here?” you asked.

The salamander raised her hand. Of course.

“What do you have in your arsenal?”

“A little bit of everything.” She said with a grin.

“Good. I need you to take some of the militia to go get their arms. Prioritize polearms and bows. All mages, stay here with me. I have a plan.” You said.

~~~~~~

“Moegara, there’s been an attack.” Said a black harpy. She still wore light armor adorned by Gakke’s icon.

“An attack!? Who would dare? Are Gakke and Kaizo alright?” asked Moegara.

“You misunderstand, Shogun. A portion of Kaizo’s forces separated from the main force. They’ve sacked the village of Saikeiba.” Said the harpy.  
Moegara’s nails carved spirals of wood out of her armrests as she clenched her chair.  
“Tell her to reorganize her forced at once and to-“  
“She is no longer in control of them, Shogun. They went rouge. General Gakke couldn’t spare the forces to regain control of the situation. A counter-attack on both the rouge force and the remainder of Kaizo’s army is expected by the General.” Said the harpy.

“Shogun! You must order Kaizo and Gakke back at once. If the plain cities band together and take the Southern Pass, they would be cut off from the shogunate!” said Torquatus.

“Damn it. Tell Kaizo and Gakke to get back here as fast as possible. We cannot afford to have them trapped on the other side of the mountains. Ready the troops for battle and send a regiment to the pass. The other cities have been complacent to let us expand for this long, but they will not overlook such a transgression. That idiot had gone too far this time; retaliation is inevitable.” Said Moegara.

“Shall I dispatch as well, mother?”

Moegara looked at Royoshi. It was typical that the only thing she offered to the conversation were her services. The rasp of a whetstone over her sword was the most some courtiers ever heard from her. Politics and power dynamics meant nothing to her; all that mattered was who her next target was. Some days, Moegara regretted not taking a larger role in her training.

Integrating the Hanabashi kunoichi clan had been mutually beneficial to both Kamaka and the clan. The Hanabashi got a steady and guaranteed supply of men, and Moegara got a small cadre of assassins to scatter as she pleased. Though they were technically independent, they had yet to refuse an order from the Shogun. Impressed with their efficacy, Moegara had asked the kunoichi if they would be willing to train some of her troops. The Hanabashi were vehemently opposed to the prospect. Only after the situation began to create political friction did both parties agree to a compromise: they would help to train one of Moegara’s daughters.

There was no more fitting candidate than young Royoshi. Kaizo was too obstreperous to receive teaching from the kunoichi, Gakke’s size and temper were counterintuitive, and Moegara’s other daughters were already too involved managing the empire to abandon their posts. Royoshi, on the other hand, had already proven herself to be a puissant hunter and trapper; a perfect foundation for the kunoichi to build upon. Unlike the rest of her siblings, the firebrand attitude of her mother was more muted in Royoshi. She could be as rambunctious and spirited as any oni with enough sake, but it was clear during festivals and parties that her mind was on things other than drink and merriment. Royoshi had a single-minded obsession with her hunts. Who was the prey? How best to approach it? What traps could she lay? What kind of defenses would she have to circumvent? The kunoichi inculcated the discipline Royoshi needed to hone her latent predatory instincts.

And what a monster they created. Kaizo may be the strong and flailing right arm of Kamaka, but Royoshi was the knife in the other hand. Courts across the island whispered of her deeds. Intrigue raged. Sometimes it was the theft of a precious magical artifact or badge of office. Sometimes it was the ‘assassination’ of a noble or merchant that was posing a threat to Kamaka. Sometimes it was making a mamono noble think that her advisor was courting the boy she had been after. Whatever the task, Royoshi came up with a solution with ruthless efficiency. Royoshi and her kunoichi clansmen were no doubt one of the driving factors behind Kamaka’s success. And most of the island didn’t even know her name…

“No, Royoshi. Not yet. I need to see all the pieces in motion before I send any more troops anywhere.”

“As you wish, mother.” Said Royoshi.

“War is on the horizon, Shogun.” said Torquatus.

“Indeed…” muttered Moegara.

Royoshi smiled to herself under her mask. A warbling hum rolled out of her throat as she started to sharpen a bit faster.

~~~~~~

“There it is…” said Kaizo.

Heida. What a pissant little town this was. Too poor to plunder anything of value, too small to be worth occupying, and too bumpkin to have any men worth taking. A total wash! Figures that mage coward would hole up with these fools. Oh well. Once she had his scrawny hide back in Kamaka, Moegara would let her lay dibs on a REAL man that they captured in the future. One with guts and gusto! How many times had she raided an Order ship to find the captain cowering in fear or giving some vociferous verbiage about justice and demons? Where was the panache?! Where was the banter?! The ones who talked the talk and walked the walk all the way to the bitter end? The only ones who ever quipped back at her were the silver-tongued idiots who were used to talking their way out of fights. Were there no good men left in the world?

“I’m getting pissed off just looking at it…” growled Kaizo.

“Boss?” asked Kaizo’s raiju lieutenant.

“Forget it. Let’s go.” Said Kaizo.

“Boss, maybe we should wait a bit…” said the raiju.

“Huh? Why the hell would we wait?” asked Kaizo.

“There’s only two dozen of us here.” Said the raiju.

Kaizo looked past the zap-weasel. Sure enough, only a handful of her troops were standing behind her.

“Where the hell are the rest of you?!” demanded Kaizo.

“They’re coming.” Said a hornet.

Kaizo looked down the road. Monsters marched toward her in pairs and clusters.

“Shit, you all look like death and the battle hasn’t even started yet.” Said Kaizo.

“We’ve been marching for days, ma’am. You only let us sleep for a few hours every night…” said a zombie.

“Shut up, I got by just fine, didn’t I? And you’re dead! You don’t even need to sleep. Look at her: now THERE’S a good soldier.” Said Kaizo, gesturing to a soldier beetle. “Equipment in order, looking fresh as a flower, and not a complaint to be had.”

“She’s not part of the army. She started following us a few days ago after we fed her scraps from the camp.” Said the raiju.

Kaizo looked at the beetle. The beetle stared back at her with her emotionless black eyes.

“Well, that’s even worse! She’s better at soldiering after a few days than some of you are after months of training!” said Kaizo.

“You never trained us…” grumbled the zombie.

“Looks like they’re fortifying. Kaizo, attacking now would be a bad idea. Even by your standards.” Said the raiju.

“Eugh! Fine! We’ll wait. But not for long. I don’t want those insects to get too entrenched.” Said Kaizo.

Sitting against a nearby tree, she surveyed the bustling townsfolk trying to spot the human.

~~~~~~~~

“Little higher. Higher. Perfect.”

The undine held you up to the bottom of the bridge as you poured your mana into a massive magical circle.

“Anonymous! Kamaka’s army is here!” Said the kejourou.

“Are they attacking?”

“No, not yet. They’re watching us.” Said the kejourou.

You put the finishing touches on the circle and told the undine to put you onto the street above.

“Is everyone in position?” you asked.

“The casters are arranged as you ordered. Everyone else is undergoing some last-minute training with their weapons.” Said the mayor.

“Good.” You took a sip of mana potion to top yourself off. The kej fidgeted.

“Don’t worry, Mayor. Have some faith in your citizens; fighting isn’t as hard as it seems. Just let them sit back and let me do the heavy lifting.”

She gave an amused snort. “You’re awfully cocky for a man. Is everyone in your land so brazen?”

“In a way… Let’s go find that salamander.” You said.

Every monster that wasn’t part of the tiny regiment the salamander was instructing was busy trying to fortify their homes and businesses. Some of them gave you hopeful glances as you passed, but most didn’t bother to hide their contempt for you. You felt terrible. You had pulled plenty of underhanded tricks and hatched more one scheme to put yourself on top at the cost of others, but you had never used anyone so innocent as the denizens of Heida. Even though you knew the risks, you still rolled the dice on whether or not you could outrun Kaizo. And now they were all about to pay the price. If you went down, maybe she would cut her losses and leave…

Your gulped as you imagined yourself pinned under a massive oni, getting ridden into the ground as the village watched. Boner, no! Onis were high on your list, sure, but that didn’t mean that it was time to give up!

“Step, parry, step, thrust.” Said the salamander, slowly thrusting a spear through the air.

She saw you coming and nodded. “What’s the word, Shikinu?”

“Kamaka’s advanced forces have arrived at the outer edge of the village.” Said the kejourou.

“Then it’s time?” asked the salamander.

“Not yet, Okien. The buzzards are just circling for now.” Said Shikinu.

“I see. I hope you are ready for this, foreigner. I can see that you’re well-traveled, but surviving this long doesn’t translate into martial prowess alone.” Said Okien.

“I don’t have any other option than to be ready.” You said.

“Hmph! I suppose you don’t. Do you want me to organize the militia? It’s been some time since I’ve been in a party…” she said.

“No need. I already have a plan.” You said.

“Floor’s yours.” Said Okien, motioning for you to take a place beside her.

“Here’s the plan: I’m going to lure the bulk of Kaizo’s forces out into the open and blast them with magic.”

“THAT’S our plan?!” said Okien.

“Calm down, woman, I’m not done yet. Like I said, I think I can bait most of Kaizo’s forces to myself and the other mages. I need you lot guarding our flanks. Apparently ‘Gakke’ is bringing up the rear. If Kaizo is getting ready to attack, that probably means that Gakke is right behind her. To keep ourselves from getting flanked, I need you to dig into the ridge to the south and make sure nothing gets past. If I need you, I’ll signal for you to charge down the slope to reinforce the casters. The hollow protects us from the west, and I don’t think Kaizo could have moved any consequential number of soldiers around to the north. Keeping anything from sneaking into town is your top priority. I’d also like a small garrison to stay in Heida to make sure our lines aren’t annihilated if someone slips past.”

“Then what?” asked Okien.

“Huh?” You thought that your plan was pretty solid for something you came up with in only a few minutes.

“So we deal with the first attack, then what?” pressed Okien.

Oh, right. Normally after you got done kicking something’s ass, you’d abscond with your own before they woke up. Guess that wasn’t an option in this scenario…

“Rest, recharge, hope they go home.” You said.

Okien glared at you. The other villagers shuffled as the awkward pause dragged on.

“Do YOU have a better idea?” you asked.

Okien huffed. “I suppose I don’t…”

“We only need to hold out until help can arrive. I won’t lie; these next few days are probably going to be brutal. But we can’t just let Kaizo sack Heida! It isn’t hopeless. Remember, her army has about as much training as you. The only thing she has over us is numbers…” You sent a ripple of energy out of your body. “And I’ll even those odds in a heartbeat.”

“This is insane…” muttered a holstaur.

“Can I trust you to lead them?” you asked Okien.

She slung her massive cleaver onto her shoulder. “Anonymous, you’re a moron and a right bastard, but I’ll take up the challenge. It’s been too long since I had a proper fight with something.”

“Call me if you need help. And get to the ridge sooner rather than later. I need you in position before the fighting starts.” You said.  
“Come on, girls. You heard him. Let’s get going.”

The troop of monsters trudged south, leaving only a few souls behind to cover the village.

“Guess I’ll get into position too.” You said, more to yourself than Shikinu.

She hummed and nodded. Though she smiled at you, her expression was doleful. “Good luck, Anonymous.”

~~~~~~~

“Kaizo, it looks like they’ve formed a militia.” Said a succubus.

Kaizo groaned in her hammock. “I knew this was going to be a pain in the ass. How many of them are there?”

“I don’t know. I saw some monsters moving up the ridge to the west of us.”

“The ridge? How many of them were there?” asked Kaizo.

“About three dozen, I’d estimate.” Said the succubus.

“Was the mage with them?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Forget about them. Catching that little rat is our main concern. If they prove to be a nuisance, we can always deal with them.” Said Kaizo.

“Yes, Kaizo. I also came to inform you that I’ve spoken with lieutenant Frenata; she thinks that we have enough soldiers to begin the assault.” Said the succubus.

“Who?”

“Th-…The raiju, boss. The one who has been guiding us this whole time?” said the exasperated succubus.

“Oh! Sparks! Yeah, she’s a good girl. I was just thinking it was time to get slashing myself.”

Kaizo rolled out of her hammock and gave her chipped cutlass a few slashes. She was READY. Terrestrial combat wasn’t nearly as fun as ship-to-ship warfare, but Kaizo wasn’t picky as long as it was exciting. As far as she was concerned, mages were all the same. “Oh ho ho, demon! Prepare to be blasted away! Ahh! Noooo, stop stabbing me!” Not one of the arrogant bastards ever seemed to understand that all she had to do to beat their parlor tricks was close the gap. Then it was whack, smack, stab until their shields broke. It was disappointing and more than a little pathetic to watch a grown man beg for mercy as she sawed through his ward with her cutlass. Have some pride, damnit!

“Let’s go. Fuck me, this armor is a pain in the ass. How does Gakke wear that can of hers all the time?” said Kaizo.

Moegara had made sure that Kaizo received a suit of magic resistant armor for her quest. Kaizo had insisted that she didn’t need it, but of course Moegara had taken Nokoribi’s word over her own. From Nokoribi’s account, this guy was more handsy than a drunk kraken with his magic. Whatever. She could ditch it as soon as she kicked his ass. Then it would just be a quick trip back to Kamaka and she would be sitting pretty. Not before making a stop to visit that bitch innkeeper. Kaizo wanted to make sure she saw the guy slung over her shoulder. Maybe she would even tease him a bit while she watched.

“Boss! There you are.” Said Frenata.

“Sparks! Glad you’re here. If that mage gets to be too much of a bother, I’m counting on you to crack him open.” Said Kaizo, throwing her arm around the raiju.

“Uhh, alright. But boss, the mage is just standing out in a field!” said Frenata.

“Just… standing?” asked Kaizo.

“Yeah. I think he wants to parley.”

Kaizo sneered. This was going to be easier than she thought. “Then I suppose I should introduce myself~”

~~~~~~~~~

“Anonymous, I would like to state for the record that I think this is a TERRIBLE idea.” Said Shikinu.

“Duly noted. Now unless you are planning on being next to me when the sparks start flying, get out of here.” You said.  
The kejourou mayor hurried back through the bean field towards Heida. You pressed your toe into the soft earth. Too bad they were growing crops in this field. In an ideal scenario, you would have pulled this on an empty plot of land. But a field’s worth of lost beans surely beat having everything you owned stripped from you.

The field sat just southeast of Heida, down the gentle slope leading up to the town. Just north of the field, the river flowed east down the hill and into the valley and forest beyond. The main road into Heida passed over this river via a bridge, forking west along the far side of the river into town and north towards other distant towns. The monsters, at the edge of the forest to the south and southeast, would cross the field you occupied when they made their charge on Heida. A perfect spot for a trap. And every trap needed good bait.

Hence, you stood here, doing your best to look as cocky as possible. Monsters from Kaizo’s army were massing in the tree line to get a look at you. None of them dared step farther out into the field or make a run for you. Seems all the dumb ones had been weeded out by now. Even when you flapped the front of your shirt to cool yourself off and give the monsters an eyeful, they were content to jeer and whoop. Where the hell were Kaizo and Gakke? Kaizo could blend in with her troops, but Gakke should be easy to spot. Assuming the descriptions Barmanie gave you were true.

Monsters massing on the road turned and parted as a figure sauntered forward. She wore considerably more armor than any of the other troops (that is to say, anything more than regular clothing). Your throat jumped when you saw her. Kaizo. The size and cutlass were a dead giveaway. Even though she was an oni, she was only a bit taller than most of her troops. A few even stood over their leader as Kaizo broke away from the line of eager pillagers. She walked through the fledgling beans with an exaggerated swagger as she made her way over to you. You stared her down as she approached.

She stopped only a few meters away from you. Unlike Nokoribi, the only piece of armor Kaizo opted for was a chest plate. Enchanted, no doubt. Her legs were covered by a simple pair of thick cloth pants that stretched all the way down to her western style boots. Long, white hair hung down past her shoulders, unconfined to any helmet or hat, spilling over her tall horns. The ensemble had a bizarre, eclectic look to it; this woman couldn’t even dress herself properly! 

You surmised she was probably a bit younger than Nokoribi. Her face wasn’t childish per se, but it wasn’t as mature as her sister’s. She had an aura of impish youth about her. As you looked at Kaizo, your mind was filled with thoughts of Pacolo. She had her smug grin down to a science. This oni was ABSOLUTELY certain that everything was going to go her way. 

{So, you’re the one who beat up Noko, huh? Kinda freaky looking…} said Kaizo. Her lip curled almost imperceptibly as she looked you over.

“I’m not sure what you said, but I don’t like the way you said it.” You said.

Kaizo’s eyes went wide and she laughed. “Oh, WOW! You can’t even speak Zipangunese, can you? Hilarious.”

“I take it you’re Kaizo.” You said dryly.

“The one and only!~” said Kaizo, puffing her modest chest out.

“You’re smaller than I expected.” You smirked.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Said Kaizo. You noticed her eye twitch a bit. Barmanie’s tip that Kaizo had a complex about her size seemed to be spot on.

“Don’t suppose you’ve come to see the waterfall, did you?” you asked.

“We heard it was awfully pretty this time of year.” said Kaizo.

“The view is to die for. Hope you brought enough coins to pay the visitor’s fee.” you said.

Kaizo chuckled. “Typical mage. What is it about you magicians that makes you all so cocky? Not that I mind. Taking you lot down a peg happens to be a hobby of mine.”

“Beating up mages, eh? I’m more of a poetry guy myself.”

“Then you’re in luck! I’m sure they’ll write songs about what I’m about to do to you.” Said Kaizo.

“And I’m sure your family will write you a nice epitaph.” You said sweetly.

Kaizo giggled and shook her head. “Too funny. Really, too funny. But we’re not here to banter all day.” Kaizo cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders. “I’ll give you this one chance, and I pray you don’t take it: you follow me back to Kamaka on your hands and knees and I won’t beat the shit out of you.”

“I’d love to, but I’ve got sensitive palms.” You said with an apologetic shrug.

Kaizo gave a sigh of relief. “Thank the Gods. I was worried that you’d bitch out on me.”

“Not when the stakes are this high.”

Kaizo looked at you confusedly. The cogs in her head turned and her face brightened.

“No… Don’t tell me: you’re out here to play hero to these hicks?” She clutched her stomach and laughed. “Fuck me, {Anomybus}, you’re a gift that keeps on giving!”

“Please, all my friends call me Anom.” You said.

Kaizo wiped a tear from her eye. “The guy who leads an army to the doorstep of a town, only to throw himself in front of the people he endangered as their savior. Unreal! Hey, the towns folk, are they helping you because they want to, or because they don’t have a choice?”

“Mostly the latter.” 

“Ha! And here I was thinking that these spineless fools were taking up arms for the first time in their lives to protect a darling little mage that wandered into their town. These monsters, {Anoymus}? They aren’t your friends. They’re standing BY you, not with you. I’d bet good coin that I could convince them to fork you over to me in exchange for a peaceful withdraw. Hell, they’d probably kick your ass over to me! Maybe I should go talk to them right now, let them know what their options are. No need for them to suffer on the behalf of one selfish human, right?” Kaizo tapped her chin and eyed the town.

You felt the ground subtly shift beneath your feet. Your boots sank a few inches into the ground.

“Do you really think they would take that deal?” you blurted.

“Why wouldn’t they? Any sane monster would. Hell, I’d even be willing to pay them a few mon for their troubles! Reimburse them for the time and effort they wasted on trying to shelter you.” Sneered Kaizo.

The ground underneath you began to churn faster.

“And do you think your army will listen to you? After that renegade group broke off and sacked that town?!” you said.

Kaizo’s eyes narrowed. “How the hell do you know about that?”

“Everyone knows it. You’ve been hemorrhaging troops since you left Kamaka. Your soldiers are plundering up and down the mountain range. We’ve already dealt with one rouge group that tried to extort us. There’s no way you can keep more from breaking off to loot Heida.” You said.

“I can keep them in line. Besides, these villagers would be willing to take that risk.” Growled Kaizo.

The ground settled. That was close.

“I think they’ve already made their decision, Kaizo.” You said.

“So have I.”

Before you had time to raise your hands, Kaizo had already swung her cutlass at your throat. If you hadn’t had your wards up already, she would have ended the fight then and there. Aiming at her exposed legs and head, you forced her to dodge backwards with a few mana shots and lashed out at her with tendrils. The magic warped and dissipated as it contacted her cuirass. Runes glowed brightly where you touched her. Kaizo’s army roared behind her. Monsters started to walk into the field. This wasn’t the charge you needed; they were just excited to see their leader duel.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself just yet, mage!” cackled Kaizo.

“That armor, it reflects magic, huh?” you probed.

Kaizo smiled and rapped her fist against it. “Sure does. Makes hunting magical shits like yourself a breeze. Not my style, but hey, what can you do?”

“Not the leggings and boots though.” You said.

“No. Not the leggings and boots.”

“That’s a shame.” You sighed.

“A shame?” Kaizo cocked an eyebrow.

“I wanted to test this against someone in a full suit of enchanted armor.”

Before Kaizo could react, you blasted away the ground under her feet. As she fell, you summoned an angled ward under her feet. Another round ward under the first acted as a fulcrum. Mustering your strength, you slammed down on the raised part of the first ward. Kaizo’s scream was punctuated with a sickening hitch as she was launched into the air. The giant magical seesaw wins again!

Monsters watched in awe as Kaizo flew over their heads to the edge of the field. A damn fine shot, if you did say so yourself. Judging by the crunch Kaizo made when she landed, at least one monster was crushed under her oni ass. A string of Zipangunese obscenities echoed out from behind the wall of soldiers.

“CHARGE!”

That you understood. The monsters didn’t need any further motivation. A long war cry rolled over the field as they ran towards you. You held your ground. It seemed like they were all headed for you. Perfect. Taking off your shirt, you started striking some poses.

“Now?” murmured a voice.

“Not yet, you’ll feel it when it happens.” You hissed at the ground.

As the first amazon reached you, you catapulted yourself backwards. The warrior roared in anger and hurried after you. Several flying monsters all made a pass at you in the air and got blasted for their trouble. You repeated the process several times, taunting, retreating, and cleaning up any monster that happened to make it to you. After the third jump, you were standing at the north edge of the field on the riverbank. Placing your hands on your knees, you took a deep breath and admired your handiwork.

Sure enough, the monsters were all thoroughly aroused or incensed after all your shirtless foolery. Intertwining your fingers behind your head, you bent backwards and sighed. A hellhound was almost upon you. Poor girl. You flapped your shirt and put it back on.  
“No need for that, boy! It’s just coming off again!” jeered the hellhound through her ragged breaths.

“I hope you can swim…” you said dolefully. Summoning forth magic in both hands, you slammed them into the ground.

The monsters closest to you wobbled as the shockwave passed through the ground. Looking down and then at you, the hellhound laughed.

“What the hell was THAT, human? So weak!”

“Yeah, my geomancy isn’t nearly as good as theirs is.” You said.

“Theirs…?”

The ground erupted. Earth rose up on either side of the column of monsters streaming towards you, while sliding out from beneath their feet. Panicked cries echoed up and down the newly formed trench as the gnomes and dorome reshaped the land. Monsters began to scramble up the sides, most falling back down into the trench as their fingers and claws slid out of the loose soil. Others pushed and shoved those in front of them, trying to force their way to the front so they could have their revenge on you. The hellhound shook herself free of the orc that had landed on her. Her eyes flared as she began to climb up the wall to you on the riverbank.

“Yep, their geomancy sure is something. But if you think that’s good…” You squatted down and smiled at the hound. “Wait ‘til you see what Heida’s hydromancers can do.”

The hellhound’s eye flames all but extinguished as she realized what was happening. You almost felt bad for the poor thing.   
A dorome somewhere in the ground melted the thin wall of dirt between the trench and the river. At the same time, the nereids and undine of the river diverted the flow of water from its normal path into the trench. You caught a glimpse of an undine squeezing her covenanter tight as he grappled with the surging liquid. The result was phenomenal. A wave of monster, mud, and water rocketed down the trench.

You only had a moment to appreciate the carnage before a bolt of magic tagged your shoulder. Some of the mages in Kaizo’s company had managed to slip out of the trench with magic and were now charging towards you along with a pack of other monsters that had managed to escape the trench in time. Cursing your negligence, you returned fire at the oncoming horde. Your shoulder tingled. Mana burns weren’t especially painful, but they were debilitating.

“SEND THEM IN!” you shouted.

The other mages of Heida burst out of the nearest building and charged down the road. A yuki-onna iced the river and they spilled over onto your side. The exhausted water elementals and nereids allowed the river to return to its rightful course. Mamono shouted and cursed as the mages began to shoot down the muddy raiders that had managed to escape the trench. A small garrison of archers joined them as well, lobbing arrows into the soup of Kamaka soldiers.

By now, a considerable portion of Kaizo’s army had washed out the far end of the trench, dribbling out into a heap at the south side of the field. Most species were now indiscernible from each other with all the mud caked onto their bodies. You watched as a muddy figure teetered away from the heap of her comrades and flopped facedown into the beans.

To your chagrin, Kaizo’s soldiers seemed hardier than you anticipated. Though they were considerably slower now, monsters were picking themselves up and shaking themselves off. Even some of the half-drowned monsters at the bottom of the trench were trying to worm their way up the muddy walls. Falling into line with the other mages, you began to pick off any monster that lumbered towards you. For a few minutes, all was well. Kaizo’s soldiers were dropping like flies into the encumbering mud as they slogged towards you and the other mages.

“THE ROAD, YOU IDIOTS! GET OUT OF THE MUD!” Kaizo’s roared over the din of battle.

The oni princess’s words snapped the advancing monsters out of their single-minded charge towards the nearest unclaimed dick (you). The army on either side of the ditch began to retreat to Kaizo’s position on the road.

This was bad. You didn’t have the mana to take potshots from this distance. Now that the initial charge was over, you’d have to resort to conventional, less effective means of dealing with the remaining soldiers. And this time, it looked like they were going to be organized. Kaizo had her back to you, barking orders at the first monsters to reach the safety of the road. They cowered in front of her, quickly falling into a sloppy formation. Others hurried over to form snaking columns of soldiers in front of their leader. Satisfied with her handiwork, Kaizo turned to you.

She was PISSED. Even from this distance, you could practically feel the malevolent aura she was projecting. You hadn’t been certain what happened to her after the river had been diverted. Seeing the mud oozing off of her, it was clear that she had been in or at the end of the trench. Her long white hair was now a matted mess of dirt and beansprouts. A gob of mud dropped off her long, slender horns past her crazed yellow eyes as she smiled at you. This was going to be rough…

“Back across the river! Mages, come with me. Archers, stay close to this position and make sure no one in the trench flanks us.” You ordered.

The other mages hurried after you as you hauled ass down the road towards the bridge. Kaizo saw your mad dash and swung her cutlass over her head. The Kamaka soldiers charged forward towards the bridge. As fast as you were, there was no way that you could outpace some of the beast-girls or theriomancy boosted casters. They were already scrabbling over the wood and onto your side of the bridge by the time you arrived. A feral grizzly lunged at you. Without missing a beat, you swatted her into the river. They may be fast, but theriomancers were dumb as bricks when they went primal. With a few quick shots, you dispatched the rest of Kaizo’s vanguard.

“Keep your wards up! If they have skirmishers, they’ll try-“

You quickly realized that the rest of Heida’s magicians were still hurrying down the hill after you. This was probably the most cardio some of them had done in their entire life. Kaizo didn’t seem to mind letting you take a favorable position. She marched confidently forward in the midst of her troops. What was left of them. Despite their unanticipated resilience, your trap had managed to incapacitate about a third of her forces and debilitate almost all of them. Not a single face at Kaizo’s side wasn’t ragged and raging. The mages finally reached you and you repeated your orders as Kaizo arrived at the far side of the bridge. She stopped just shy of the wood.

“Well, well, well. I have to hand it to you human; I’m a little impressed. Not many spineless casters have the gall to pull something like that.” Said Kaizo.

“You know me, I aim to please.” You said with a bow.

“Incredible. Your plan fails and you’re STILL this arrogant.”

“Plan? Why, we were just irrigating the crops.” You said.

Some of the Heida mages snickered. Kaizo’s smile widened, but her eyes narrowed.

“You know, I don’t hate this back and forth. I think it’s quite fun, actually! Getting to tease one another like this is so much better than being forced to listen to some hackneyed sermon or speech about how you’ll never surrender. And I have to admit, you’ve got quite a knack for saying something that pisses me off.”

“Some would say it’s because I practice so much, but I chalk it up to talent.” You said.

Kaizo continued without acknowledging your comment. “I figured I’d haul you back to Kamaka, hand you off to mama, let one of my sisters rape you through the floor, and use the prestige to find myself a perfect husband. I’m a little picky, I confess. Of all the ships I’ve plundered, of all the towns I’ve raided and merchants I’ve robbed, none of them struck my fancy. They were all too weak or too boring. I need a man with some zeal! And the skill to back it up! Get what I’m saying?”

“Not really, I’m not into dick.” You said.

Kaizo’s eyes were blazing. Her gaze was a frightening mix of passion and contempt. You struggled to keep a straight face as her glare bored a hole through you.

“I think I’m going to ruin you.” Kaizo mused. “You’re an interesting guy, {Amom}. I think you might even have the skills to justify that cocksure attitude of yours! But that’s not why I feel the urge to defile you. Right now, what I want to see is the face you make when I have you pinned under my hips. I want to see that cheeky face of yours stained with tears as I break you in. Yeah, I think what I would like most right now,” she ran her thumb along the edge of her cutlass and licked her lips “is to hear you beg~ Let’s see how well you live up to that swagger of yours! Sparks!”

On cue, the raiju next to Kaizo launched a bolt of lightning into your ranks. You heard a yelp and a thud behind you, followed by soft moans.

“I said raise those wards, damnit!” you shouted.

“Get’em! But leave the mage to me~” roared Kaizo.

Monsters began spilling over the bridge. You and the mages held your ground as the onslaught of monsters, projectiles, and spells hurtled towards you. The raiju shot another bolt of lightning at you. You winced as it connected with your ward. She was strong! You launched a few shots at the zap-weasel. She raised a ward of her own and deflected the magic. Fuck.

The wall of monsters closed in on you as the tide of mamono waded through their unconscious compatriots. Their cries were intermittently answered by screams and grunts from your own side as the mages were picked off one by one. A high orc slipped past you and sunk her sword into a lamia on your right. Kaizo and the other melee-oriented monsters were now upon you. Fuck!

You launched a bolt of magic into the sky.

“Fall back!” you said.

Sweeping your arms to the side, you tried to brush as many monsters as possible off the bridge. Kaizo swung her sword at you, narrowly missing your chin as you backpedaled. As you staggered back, you realized that there was no one else left to retreat with. The other mages were either unconscious or being overwhelmed by Kaizo’s horde. Cursing, you used your magic to launch yourself away from the fray.

Farther up the road, the archers at the entrance to Heida were faring a little better. A few Kamaka soldiers lay snoring on either bank of the river, turned to pincushions with realm-silver arrows. Hurtling yourself towards the new front line, you prayed that Okien saw the signal.

“Come here, human! Show me what that magic of yours can do! Running only prolongs the inevitable!” jeered Kaizo as you fled.

By the time you reached the top of the hill, your limbs were trembling. Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out a small flask of mana potion and chugged it. Your stomach protested as the fresh mana flowed through your system.

“Foreigner, they’re coming!” said an oomukade.

“I know.” You panted.

“We don’t have enough arrows to hold them!” wailed a succubus.

“We just have to hold out until Okien arrives!” you said.

You took a break as the monsters behind you started nocking and loosing arrows into the advancing army. Kaizo jogged forward unfazed by the arrows. You gulped as she swatted a few of them out of the air with a flourish of her sword.

“You’re disappointing me, human! Maybe I’ll fork you over to one of my sisters like I planned.” Laughed Kaizo.

“Anon, we’re almost out of arrows!” said the oomukade.

“Anon!”

Okien was farther down the street, leading the rest of the militia towards you.

“Thank fuck you’re here.” You said.

“Oh gods, look at them all…” said Okien.

“Focus. We can take them. Leave Kaizo to me.” You said.

Okien clenched her teeth. Her husband took her free hand and squeezed it.

“This takes me back…” he said wistfully.

Okien sighed and giggled. “You’re still so bloodthirsty after all these years.”

“If we can hold this push, we’re golden. Focus on the ones you can handle; leave Kaizo to me.” You said.

“What if she doesn’t want to be left to you?” asked Okien.

“I’ll fix that.” You said.

“If you say so. Everyone, in position!” ordered Okien.

“Leave a small gap for Kaizo to come through.” You added.

A new line was formed as the archers sent the last of their arrows into Kaizo’s forces. Even though you had decimated her forces, Kaizo’s army still outnumbered the Heida militia. The situation was surely going to devolve from here. With no formal training, the armies would no doubt break each other apart and spill into Heida. Chaos like that made it impossible for you to clear large swaths of soldiers at a time. You didn’t have the energy to blast every individual monster anymore. Hell, you might not have any mana left after your fight with Kaizo.

Emboldened by the absence of arrows hurtling towards them, Kaizo’s troops uttered an excited yawp and quickened their pace up the hill.

“Kaizo! Are you feeling alright? You look like you’ve {bean} better!” you said pointing to a beansprout caught in her hair, using your English to make a pun.

The oni’s brow furrowed at the strange language. She ran her fingers through her hair and removed the beansprout. Flicking it aside, she turned her attention back to you.

“Is it cruel of me to humiliate you like this? To drag your name through the mud?~” you said.

Kaizo’s expression grew more sinister. Her pace quickened. The monsters forming the front line inched apart from each other to give her even more leeway.

“Are you this angry because you have a SHORT temper? Or is it because I fight DIRTY?”

Kaizo bolted through the gap in your lines taking a few errant swings at the monsters that ducked away from her. In an instant, she was upon you, hacking wildly at your barrier. She didn’t have any quips for you this time; the only thing on her mind was shutting you up. Parrying her sword with a ward on your wrist, you empowered your right hand and launched a haymaker at her unprotected head. Kaizo narrowly dodge the blow.

“Fists?” she said.

“What can I say? I’m a traditionalist.” You said, wreathing your other fist in magic.

Kaizo leered wildly at you. “Oh, that’s good. That’s really good. A melee mage! Never thought I’d see the day! Let’s see how fast you are, human!”

You slowly backstepped as Kaizo hacked at you with her cutlass. Chaos erupted behind her as Kamaka forces clashed with the Heida militia. Even though you were forced to constantly block Kaizo’s hits, only having to maintain a forward ward saved you a considerable amount of energy. Rationing your wards to only the places she was about to strike was the only way you were getting out of this. Sidestepping a slash, you used magic to accelerate your magic-soaked fist into her chest. The runes on her cuirass flared. Kaizo grunted and staggered. She laughed.

“I hope you still have energy to thrust like that when you wake up~”

“Normally my thrusts are a bit harder than this, but looking at your face is making me go soft.”

“Hrm… That one was pretty good… Pisses me off.” Growled Kaizo.

Though you desperately tried to counter her relentless offensive, your punches were ineffectual and your magic was all but useless. More than once you had latched onto her head or leg only to have your offending arm battered until you were forced to break the tether. You landed several square shots to her head, but Kaizo was made of sterner stuff than the rest of her troops. By forcing you to constantly shield yourself from her saber, she limited you to light attacks she could simply shrug off. Though your Valisias training served you well, every combination of attacks you tried was effortlessly interrupted or parried by Kaizo. This woman was FAR out of your league in close quarters combat.

As you punched forward, Kaizo allowed herself to he hit in the shoulder. She capitalized on the opening by sinking her sword into the top of your shoulder where you had been hit earlier. Your ward was raised too late, and you yelped as you felt the alien tingle of realm silver cleave a few inches into your skin.

“Ah! That noise! You scream just like I’d imagined. Let me hear some more~” said Kaizo.

You clutched your wounded shoulder. It wasn’t a deep wound, but essence was pouring out of you. Essence you couldn’t afford to lose. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw that you were almost at the first bridge over the river. Kaizo slammed her fist into the ward covering your chest, demanding your attention.

“What’s with that look, huh? Where’s the snappy comeback? Was that insufferable attitude of yours just a farce? Now that the chips are down and you realize you don’t have the winning hand, are you going to show me your true colors?” mocked Kaizo.

Your feet clunked as you stepped onto the bridge. Your steps became erratic as you struggled to maintain your wards under her barrage of sword swipes.

“Look at you now! Just another desperate animal! So much for that verve of yours!”

She feinted high and struck low, taking out one of your ankles. You yipped and fell back. With all your might, you scooted yourself away from Kaizo with a throbbing shoulder and a numb leg.

“Anon!”

A harpy the militia alighted onto a building above you.

“Anon, please! We need you! More Kamaka troops have just arrived!” pleaded the harpy.

Kaizo turned to look at her. “It’s about damn time. Young lady, I think we all know how this battle is going to end. Tell the incoming troops that Kaizo wants them to wait outside the village once the militia is dealt with, would you? I promise if you idiots start behaving yourselves, I’ll treat you fairly.”

The harpy’s lip trembled as she watched you scoot your way to the far side of the bridge. She flew off with tears in her eyes to relay the orders to the advancing troops.

“Now then…” Kaizo looked you over.

You grabbed the banister at the edge of the bridge and tried to pull yourself up. The world pitched and wobbled as you rose to your feet on shaky knees. You fell face down at the edge of the bridge.

“So much for that. I have to admit, Anon. You’re a pretty spectacular guy. I mean, your fighting style sucks, but you’re pretty entertaining. You’d be a good soldier if you learned how to dodge instead of taking every hit on the chin.” Kaizo sheathed her cutlass.  
You began to laugh. Rolling your head against the cobblestone, you looked up at her on the bridge. 

“I don’t suppose… I could convince you… to surrender?” you wheezed.

Kaizo looked at you with a befuddled smirk as you fell into hysterics. She shook her head and gave you the warmest smile you had ever seen from her.

“What the hell? You really are a weird one, Anon. But damn, if that wasn’t entertaining as hell.” She rested her hands on the railing of the bridge and watched the fighting. “I think I’ll take you, Anon. I get the strange feeling that even when I’m raping the shit out of you, you’ll still be able to sneak in a few wisecracks. I’ve been looking for someone like that for a long time, you know? I want a husband that won’t just fold like a piece of origami when I press him. I need him to have some BITE to him. Ah, but don’t get me wrong; I still want to see what kind of face you’ll make after I milk every last drop of essence from your body. But when I’m done, I’d like someone to banter with while we sail the high seas looking for victims. Doesn’t that sound nice?” She looked at you lovingly.

“Sorry, you aren’t my type.” You grinned.

“That’s the spirit~” said Kaizo.

“Wait!” you weakly held your palm off the ground. Kaizo stopped walking towards you.

“Oh? What is it, my darling fiancé?” asked Kaizo, fluttering her muddy eyelashes at you.

“I’m sorry.”

Her expression darkened. “Sorry? It’s a little too late to get out of this with an apology. Kind of pathetic, actually. Maybe I will hand you off to one of my sister-“

“I really tried to think of a good joke for this during your boring ass soliloquy, but I couldn’t think of anything better than: Kaizo? More like, {FLYzo}.” You said.

Kaizo blinked at you. “What?”

“Fuck, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s even worth the translation.”

Slapping your hand down on the edge of the bridge, you triggered the sigil you had inlaid on the underside. The bridge erupted into a geyser of splinters. Kaizo screamed as she was launched into the air. Your limp body cartwheeled away in the blast. Like a ragdoll, you collided with a wall and slid to the ground. The pain was unbearable. Your arm was certainly broken on impact. Somewhere above you, Kaizo’s screaming ended with an abrupt thud and a pained wheeze. A moment later, her unconscious body flopped down in front of you amidst a shower of clay roof tiles.

Your vision faded in and out. This was it, wasn’t it? As you lay in a mangled heap against the wall, your fading mind became aware of Kamaka soldiers running through the streets. Sounds of battle raged all around you. So, they had finally breached the lines. What kind of monster would find you, you wondered? All they had to do was pick you up and carry you off. Or take you right there. Maybe you should have just taken Kaizo. An oni wouldn’t be too bad, in the grand scheme of things. Your listless gaze watched the soldiers on the other side of the destroyed bridge. Funny, it almost looked like they were afraid.

An orc tripped. Looking over her shoulder, she squealed as a knight riding a wyvern slammed into the cobbled street hard enough to dislodge some of the stones. As the wyvern landed, the rider ran his lance through the fleeing raider. A panicked soldier beetle (who looked particularly out of place) turned to face the couple. The wyvern raised her foot and delivered a brutal axe kick onto the insect girl’s head. What the hell was happening?

“Mr. Anon!”

A harpy landed beside you.

“Look who I found! Lord Antozo has sent the dragoons of Soheiya to aid us!”

Antozo? Soheiya? Dragoon? Your mind couldn’t comprehend any of these things as you slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~

“Foreigner, wake up.”

Your eyes cracked open. It felt like you had been hit by a truck. A helmeted figure loomed over you. The headpiece was ornate but practical, shaped into a visage of a dragon. For a moment, you wondered if you were at the mercy of some sort of strange dragon creature the encyclopedia hadn’t mentioned. Then the memories of the battle came rushing back and you recognized him as one of the dragoons that had swept through Kaizo’s forces. Once you got over the initial shock, you looked around the room.

You were on a pile of straw on the floor of the townhall. Other monsters and their husbands were strewn about as well. Healers bustled back and forth between them, making sure they were alright. Like most monster “wars,” most of the energy they had lost from the realm-silver wounds was being restored by cuddling or loving their spouses. The worst wound you could see was a man with his arm in a sling being fawned over by a centaur. Most of these scrapes and bruises would be healed in a few days.

“Can you hear me, foreigner?” asked the knight.

“Yes.” You rasped.

“I know you’re probably hurting right now, but I have some questions I need to ask you.” He said.

“Okay.”

“We’ve captured one of Moegara’s daughters, Kaizo. So far, she’s refused to cooperate. I just need to know more about the situation. From what we’ve gathered from the townsfolk and some of the soldiers we’ve interviewed, Kaizo was tracking you down. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Is that all?”

You gave the knight a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“Was there any other reason why Kaizo was following you?” he pressed.

“No.”

“No artifacts you’re carrying? No unique spells you’re in possession of?” asked the armor-clad man.

“What? No.” you said.

“Foreigner, I hope for your sake you’re telling me the truth. This little incursion will have irrevocable consequences on the empires of Zipangu. You SWEAR that the only reason Kamaka’s army came through the pass was to obtain you?”

“If you’re thinking of peddling me off to them-“

“Calm yourself, foreigner. We wouldn’t do such a thing. I don’t think you’re lying. Next question, what is your business in Zipangu?” he asked.

“Uhh… I’m here for a… a wife.” You mumbled.

“What?”

“A wife.”

“Speak up, foreigner.”

“I’m trying to get married!” you hissed.

You could tell he was giving you a look even though his face was hidden by a visor.

“Surely you realize that there is an ample supply of eligible women in every village and city on the island, no?” he said.

“I know there are plenty of fish in the sea! I-“

“That too. If you desire an ichthyoid wife, the ocean is a far more efficient place to conduct such a search.” He said condescendingly.  
“That was an idiom you moron. I’m not trying to marry a fish. And keep your voice down!” you said.

“Listen, foreigner. I don’t care who you marry, as long as you do it soon. If other empires grow interested in you, there may be more conflict. I’d be happy to escort you back to Soheiya to search for a wife there, if it would please you. By all accounts, you fought valiantly to defend these people; even if you fought as penance for bringing them here.” Said the knight.

“Soheiya? Isn’t that a big city? Out on the plains?” you shut your eyes, trying to remember all the names and places on your map.  
“Indeed. It is a powerful city-state with a just and wise ruler. I’m certain Lord Antozo would be more than welcoming of a mage such as yourself into his city.”

“And Soheiya, does it have any ryus?” you asked tentatively.

“Ryus? No. Not with permanent residence, at least. We have good relations with one of the ryus near the coast. By her and her husbands grace, they ensure we have the rains to nurture our crops in the planting season. Why do you ask?” Said the knight.

You looked at the ceiling. Would he understand? This guy just wanted you to get hitched as fast as possible to prevent any future fuckups. Why should he care what species you were going for?

“Hmm? Could it be you…” He crossed his arms. “Hmm. Hmm! I see. I see! I should have known a guy like you wouldn’t settle for just anyone, eh?” he said.

“I thought you said-“

“Forget what I said, lad. That was wrong of me. I said that as a knight, not as a husband.”

He looked over at a wyvern watching him impassively from across the room. Presumably, picking her way through all the sleeping and fornicating monsters would have been too much trouble. Her nose flared a bit when she saw her husband looking at her. She wiggled one of her wings a bit, careful not to disturb anyone.

“Beautiful, isn’t she? Don’t worry, foreigner. I understand you. Dragons are… something else. They’re prideful, obstinate, and hard as hell to track down. But when you do? Well, I couldn’t ask for a better companion. ‘Course, that’s a biased take. I know every guy will boast that his wife’s species is supreme. But I get where you’re coming from. Like chasing the sun itself…” he said wistfully.

“Does that mean you’d be willing to help me?” you asked hopefully.

He sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t. With Kaizo in custody, we’ve crippled her armies advance. But the rest of her troops are stretched for miles up and down the roads through the foothills. We need everyone who can hold a lance to help capture them or herd them back to Kamaka. As soon as we finish up here, we’re flying south to rendezvous with the heavy cavalry engaging Gakke’s forces.”

“Gakke? Is she close?” you asked.

“She’s probably about half a day south of here. Not for much longer. Once the centaurs get to her, she’ll be forced to limp back to Kamaka like the rest of her ilk. I wouldn’t worry about her anymore.” Said the knight.

You flopped your head back onto the straw and sighed. What a relief. At least this nightmare was about to be over. Finding a ryu would be much easier without an army nipping at your heels.

“I know you can’t help me find a ryu, but could I ask a different favor of you?” you asked the dragoon.

“Perhaps. What is it?”

“There’s a book in my pack. A cookbook. Some bastard enchanted it so that Kamaka could track me. I don’t exactly know how it works, but I know they follow it like flies to honey. Could you take it with you when you leave? I don’t care where it goes, as long as it isn’t with me.”

“That’s how they found you? Hmm… I can think of a few ways we could use that to our advantage.” He said.

You shifted on the cot and winced as you tweaked your arm.

“Careful there. You were pretty smashed up in that explosion. What the hell was that anyways?”

“A trap I set. I figured that we would have to cede the field and road eventually, so I made that as a backup.” You said.

“Not bad. A little crude, but I’d say it did the trick.”

You smiled. "Thanks for saving us."

He nodded. “Rest, friend. I’m sure that someone will be by to take care of you. Where is this book you spoke of?”

“My bag should be in one of these offices. It’s the cookbook, not the leather-bound one.” You said.

“Good travels, human. Hope I see you in Dragonia someday.”

“I’ll be there.” You said.

“That’s the spirit.”

He gave you a salute that you weakly reciprocated with your good arm and went to retrieve the damnable book that had caused you so much grief. You closed your eyes. Hopefully that unicorn would be by shortly. Your arm was starting to throb.

~~~~~~~~~

Gakke peeked out from behind her shield. The heavily armored centaurs seemed to have learned their lesson. They may have been at an advantage on the plains, but Gakke’s forces had the upper hand in the forest. The rest of Gakke’s squad stood next to their general in defensive formation, looking at the centaurs smart enough not to stray into the woods. Unconscious soldiers littered the ground, Gakke’s on the field, and Soheiyan troops amidst the fallen leaves. The air was tinged with the acrid scent of smoke wafting from an automaton’s arcane weapon, still pointed at the horse-women.

“Keep moving. Into the woods. Don’t turn your back on them.” Said Gakke.

“General…” said a dullahan.

“We can’t save them. Kamaka needs us. This isn’t the place to throw ourselves away for the sake of honor.” Said Gakke.

“They hold the pass! There’s nowhere to retreat to!” said the dullahan.

“We will go north. Through a minor pass.”

Some of the Soheiyan troops started to advance into the forest as Gakke’s phalanx moved away. The automaton’s gears whirred, and a rain of magically accelerated realm silver ripped into one of the sergeants.

“Don’t. Conserve your ammunition.” Scolded Gakke.

The machine woman looked at her blankly. Twisting her arm up, the barrel of the weapon slid back into her forearm.

“We’re on our own, girls. No one from home is coming to save us. Time to show this island why we’re the best soldiers in Kamaka.”


	49. Chapter 49

It took several days after the battle of Heida for you to fully recover from your injuries. Unlike before, you no longer had a monopoly on the healers’ attention. For a few days you passively sat on your little bed in the townhall, waiting for triage. They set and numbed your arm, but no one had the energy to properly fix it for half a week. You kept your mouth shut and didn’t complain. The poor healers looked exhausted as they bustled back and forth; it wasn’t that they didn’t care, they were simply incapable in their state of perpetual lassitude. Besides, it was only by the grace of these monsters that you weren’t being dragged back to Kamaka in chains.

You smirked. Kaizo certainly hadn’t expected to be the one hauled away in irons. Turns out there were a lot of Zipangunese words that weren’t in your translation guide. Apparently, she was going to be held in Soheiya, a big-name plains city to the southeast. Based on what one of their scouts had reported, the rest of her “army” was now starting to collapse in on itself as their supply lines were cut and the only figure they had to lead them was now removed. Most of the mass was content to make a full retreat to Kamaka, but clusters of monsters were breaking off in droves under the leadership of self-proclaimed second-in-command warlords. Their greed would be their downfall. Not that you had to worry about any of that now. The last you would see of Kaizo was her getting airlifted away by a wyvern, and Gakke’s troops were no doubt trampled under the hooves of Soheiya heavy cavalry.

You were finally in the clear. No more interruptions. And not a moment too soon. All this drama had cost you a considerable amount of time. Reaching the Valley of Storms had gone from a simple task to a herculean feat. Even with shortcuts, you would have to move at a marathon pace if you wanted to visit any of the shrines and arrive in the valley before Voso’s curse popped.

But visit you shall. While you were recuperating, you managed to chat with a few of the locals about the local water-wurms. There was a consensus amongst them that the ryu at a shrine north of Heida was still eligible. Although it was dated information by most accounts, it was the most you had to go off. After all, there was a chance you would be waylaid long enough for the curse to activate before you could reach the valley; reaching this shrine would be a cakewalk.

“Feeling better, Anonymous?”

Shikinu waltzed into the room with the same natural grace that all kejourou seemed to possess.

“I am, thank you.” You gave a few flexes of your freshly healed arm for emphasis. Though it ached a bit if you held it at certain angles, you knew that the kinks would work themselves out soon enough.

“Well, it certainly has been exciting having you in Heida.” Said Shikinu.

Your face burned. “I’m sorry to have brought this-“

“I didn’t mean it like that, Anonymous. I can’t pretend that I’m not a little upset with you for leading Kamaka’s army to us, but I know that involving us wasn’t your intention. When I said it was exciting to have you here, I meant it literally. Heida is a nice place. But sometimes…” she looked out a window onto the bustling street. “Sometimes it feels a little monotonous. For some, it’s all they’ve ever wanted. Stability, community, safety, and prosperity. For others, it’s a grindstone that wears their sanity down to nothing. I’m sure you’ve noticed how few young people there are in Heida, no?”

“I haven’t been around long enough to notice.” Most of your time had been spent feverishly ordering monsters into place and setting up all the spells you would need to face Kaizo.

“It’s true. Hardly anyone your age stays in Heida. They see a glimpse of themselves working the same job as their parents for the rest of their life, toiling away in some idyllic little town, and panic. That’s how Okien is able to keep her adventuring shop open. It seems like every other day some starry-eyed young lady is putting her lifesavings down on the counter to buy a sword, a pack, and a dream.”

“That seems a little harsh on Okien’s part. What’s the turnover on those ‘adventurers?’” Couldn’t be long. There was a saying at Valisias Academy: “The most important lesson you’ll learn in Valisias is humility.” It didn’t matter how strong, fast, or magically talented you were; there was ALWAYS someone who could outclass you in some regard.

“Low. Sure, some come limping home with tears in their eyes, but most stay gone. You see Anonymous, Heida doesn’t have a particularly powerful draw on men. To a monster town, no resource is more important. It’s expected that these bachelorettes will leave Heida, even if it’s just a trip to a city to court a man. The adventuring bunch is only marginally different. They want husbands too; they just take a more circuitous route to get one. Personally, I think it’s good that they get out of this hollow and go see what the world has to offer. The timber will still be here when they get back, after all.”

“Doesn’t that mean that this place is dying?” Seemed to you like a recipe for a population spiral.

“On the contrary. We’ve been growing steadily for years now. Young people leave to seek their fortune, and older couples looking to settle down take their place. As I said, Heida is nothing if not stable. The most invigorating thing to happen in months before your arrival was a hotly contested vote on whether to use the town’s coffers to build a school and hire a teacher from one of the cities.” Said Shikinu.

“Riveting.”

“It was to us.” she giggled. “That’s why I can’t be too angry with you, even though I should be as the mayor. It was so thrilling! Some of the monsters living here had the best lay of their life after that fight. I’m surprised you were able to sleep at all with all the drunken fornication happening.”

You did recall a few times where you had been briefly woken during the night by a strange howl or moan.

“I dare say we might have to make the occasion a holiday. Something to remind everyone that life isn’t always as drab as we think it to be.” Shikinu smiled at you.

You nodded. An interesting way to interpret the circumstances, but a welcome one. It was good to know that not all the monsters wanted to run you out of town. There were quite a few of those. A dark mage had even tried to haul you out of your bed herself before her friends stopped her.

Shikinu’s demeanor shifted. Her eyelids drooped and she arched her body to accentuate her hips and bust. “You know, Anonymous, I couldn’t help but overhear that you were looking for a spouse. I didn’t mean to be nosy; listening to gossip is part of a mayor’s job.”  
You stifled an eyeroll. Here it comes…

“Don’t give me that look!” Shikinu pouted. “How rude! You should let a lady speak before you so brazenly spurn her, foreigner.”

“Sorry. I just get this spiel a lot.” You said.

“Hmph! You really are a cheeky one.” Shikinu adjusted her clothes with her hair as she took a more dignified pose. “There are plenty of wonderful bachelorettes in Heida. I’m certain a young man like yourself would have no trouble finding a lady who suites him.”

“I don’t think a lot of the villagers would take very kindly to me settling down here. Not everyone in Heida thinks that the attack was “exciting.”” You said.

“I can’t deny that it will take some time to earn the trust of some of the more spiteful monsters. In time, they’ll come around to you. Especially if they see you arm in arm with one of their neighbors. Why, there’s a lovely little-“

“Mayor.” You cut her off with a firm look.

Shikinu sighed and gave you an apologetic smile. “I heard that you were chasing more… elusive prey. I didn’t know if you were still so eager to travel out into the wilderness after receiving such a discourteous welcome to our island.”

“I appreciate the concern, mayor. I’m fine, truly. I know you may not believe me, but I’ve had worse from better.”

“I don’t doubt that claim anymore.” chuckled the kejourou. Shikinu clapped her hands together. “Well then! I suppose you’ll need some supplies before you head off, hmm? I’m sure Okien has all the supplies you need. Do you know the way to your next ‘destination?’”

“Yeah, just to the north of here.”

“Yes. There’s a path branching off the road near a bend. I recall that to be the best way up to the shrine. Though, it has been several years since I last visited.” Shikinu looked somewhat frustrated as she remembered her pilgrimage.

“Could you show me on this map?” You produced the map and held it out for her. She took the map from your hands and idly twirled her hair as she inspected it.

“Hmm… Here. This should be the place. Maybe Zutari’s attendants have finally crafted a proper entrance to the shrine.” Shikinu marked an inconspicuous bend in the road under the shrine with an x.

“Zutari?”

“That’s the name of the ryu.” Said Shikinu.

“And she’s single?” you pressed.

“I’m inclined to think so.” Shikinu’s tone was flat.

“Why is that?” It was unusual for her to lose her coy smile.

“Zutari is… She’s done Heida a great service, ensuring that our crops and forests have the rains they need to grow. However, Zutari is a proud surety; she never fails to remind any of her charges that they swear fealty to a being greater than themselves.” Shikinu’s brow furrowed as she spoke.

“So, she’s picky.” That made sense: she was a dragon after all.

“If she was picky, she would have been wed ages ago. That woman managed to cultivate more draconic pride than all other ryus on the island combined!” Tresses squirmed and twisted as Shikinu spoke. Zutari must have REALLY done something to piss her off.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll be the one to humble her.” You said.

“I’d commission you a statue if you did. Who knows? Maybe she’ll appreciate your roguish charms.”

“I am NOT roguish.” You said defiantly.

Shikinu gave you an insufferably smug smirk. “Of course not. Now then, shouldn’t you be off? It will be sundown by the time you leave if we keep chatting like this.” 

“I guess I should be going.” You packed up your things and slung your pack over your shoulder. Standing in front of the door, you shuffled awkwardly looking for the right words. “Uhh… Thank you. For everything, mayor. Shikinu. I wouldn’t be here without… I swear I’ll pay Heida back someday.”

“You’re very welcome, foreigner. Anonymous. Come and visit us when you get married.” Shikinu gave you a small wave.

You nodded and exited the building before you could butcher your goodbye anymore than you already had.

~~~~~~~

“Magi! I was wondering when you were going to be by.” Okien’s tail flared as she saw you enter her shop.

“I heard this was the place that had what I need.” You said.

And maybe you had heard wrong. When Okien said she had the most weapons in the village, you thought that meant a few swords from her store and a couple of antiques from her adventuring days (ALL salamanders had adventuring days). It would seem that Heida’s militia did not in fact bring their own weapons from home; there were enough weapons in this room to account for nearly every weapon used in the skirmish. Swords, bows, knives, polearms, maces, flails… Okien had it all. Despite all the time you had spent in Valisias, Okien had somehow managed to find weapons you had no idea even existed. Hell, some of them looked cartoonishly impractical.

Trifling things like food, armor, and adventuring equipment took a backseat to the main course of realm silver implements. Musty rope and cracking leather cuirasses sat untouched on the bottom shelves. You were tempted to inspect a battered pot with a crooked lid and decided against it; the scuttling noise coming from within was too loud.

“I gotta say, magi: that was some good fighting.” Okien crossed her arms and nodded to herself. Her tail-flames spiked a bit higher as she remembered the combat. “I haven’t felt so young in years! Those bastards thought they could just waltz in here. Ha! Not with me around. I still got it~” The salamander flexed a bicep and kissed it.

“You were great out there. I just hope that there’s no more excit-“

“You were something yourself! Never seen anyone fight like that. I didn’t see the battle from the ridge, but everyone who was there said you were dropping monsters left and right. I can’t lie; I thought you were going to cut and run before the fighting started. Same when you pulled Kaizo through the line. I thought “this pussy mage is going to leave us for dead!” Then you pulled out those fists! Ha! A punch mage! Almost got skewered by some rat ‘cause I was too busy watching you slug it out with Kaizo. You looked like you were getting your ass kicked, but I guess you got her in the end.” Okien punctuated her story with some erratic waves of her arms as she mimicked whatever action was happening in her story.

“Yeah. My fighting style still needs some work. My magic instructor back in Valisias-“

Okien gasped. “You went to Valisias?!”

You cocked an eyebrow. “I did.”

“Wow! I always wanted to go to Valisias or Sdurdigen. Too bad I never had the time or money…”

Sdurdigen was another “big name” adventuring school. You asked Maranth about it once. She muttered something about it being a “two-copper glorified summer camp that sent scores of idiots to their doom.”

A piercing shriek reverberated through the maze of metal as a tinymander hurled herself down the stairs into the shop. You almost had a heart attack as she stumbled on an uneven board and nearly tumbled into a rack of swords.

{YOU’RE HERE!} she squealed, wrapping herself around your leg.

{Yes. I… am here.} you said in your best Zipangunese.

{I saw you fight! That was so cool! They came at you and you went BABABABABA!} The salamander gave your leg a swift series of palm strikes as she mimicked your magic. You suppressed a grimace and tried to keep a straight face. That hurt! Even though she was still young, her freakish salamander strength was enough to make your leg ache. The claws scratching your leg didn’t help either…

{Onychylus, leave the poor mage alone.} scolded Okien.

{Maaaammmaaaa} whined the kid, letting herself sag on your leg as she put her weight onto you.

{Come here.} Okien snapped her claws and pointed at the ground next to her.

Tinymander pouted as she trudged over to her mother’s side. Okien plopped her hand down on the bushy mauve hair of her daughter as Onychylus peeped over the counter at you.

“Sorry, she’s just so eager to strike off on her own.” Said Okien.

“I understand. I wouldn’t have trekked halfway around the world if I didn’t.” you said.

“Savor that freedom while you can. Don’t get me wrong, Onychylus is the best thing that ever happened to us. I just envy that liberty I once had. Knowing I could take a tent and a sword out into the wild and find something to conquer. Never knowing where I was going to be or who I was going to meet.” Okien ran her claws through her daughter’s hair as she spoke.

“It is exciting, isn’t it?” She was right. There was a certain charm to living as a vagabond.

“I don’t mean that domestic life isn’t nice too!” Okien added quickly. “Being able to sleep in a bed, making a nice little home for ourselves, setting up this shop, none of that would be possible if we hadn’t settled down. It’s just that it all gets a little…”

“Predictable?” you offered.

“Exactly! I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but that doesn’t mean I still miss the way things were.” Said Okien.

“The grass is always greener, eh?”

Okien gave you a puzzled look. “Grass?”

“Sorry. It’s an expression. The grass is always greener on the other side. You always want what you don’t have.”

“Huh, grass… Ah, what am I saying? You didn’t come here to get your ears talked off by some shopkeeper! Let’s get down to it, huh?”

You went through your list of everything you needed while Okien and Onychylus retrieved your purchases for you. Thank God they were here to help you. When you asked for new boots, (yours were mostly destroyed from all fancy footwork and jumps you had performed in the fight), it took them five minutes to retrieve the pair. One boot from one corner of the store, and the other from some box on the second floor. How the hell did this place stay in business? At least they fit surprisingly well.

“Anything else?” asked Okien as you shoved a coil of rope into your pack.

“That should be everything.” You pulled out your coin pouch and slid her a pile. To your dismay, you realized that it was considerably lighter than when you began your journey. You did a quick summary of your finances as you put the pouch away. Not much left.

“Say, is there a golem around here?” you asked.

“A golem?”

“Yeah.”

“Not in Heida, no. Can’t say I know of any golems in other towns either.” Said Okien.

“That’s fine.” You said.

“Why do you ask? You into stone girls?” Okien gave you a smug grin.

“No.” you said flatly.

“Alright, just teasing. Hmm… Kyriavalissia?” asked Okien, rolling the coin between her claws.

“It’s a long story.” You said.

“I’ll say! I doubt I’ll ever get paid with these again.” Chuckled the salamander.

{What’s that?} chirped Onychylus.

{It’s money from a faraway land.} Said Okien.

“Ooooh!” Onychylus snatched a coin off the counter and inspected it.

{Maybe you’ll visit Kyriavalissia one day. Say…}

Okien looked you up and down. You didn’t like that look…

“You attended Valisias Academy, right? And since you’re a rather unique specimen, you must have made some connections, right?” asked Okien.

“I suppose you could say that.” You WERE Maranth’s favorite source of entertainment during your schooling.

“And were these connections perhaps strong enough to potentially give a prospective student a financial break if she were to attend Valisias Academy?” Okien leaned farther over the counter.

“You want me to use my influence to get your daughter a scholarship.”

“Oh! What a capital suggestion!~ I mean, as long as it isn’t too much to ask. I’d even be willing to give a discount to such a kind customer…” Okien took a third of the staters you had paid her with and pushed them back towards you, resting a claw on top. You leered at the money.

“You know I can’t guarantee anything, right? There’s a chance nothing will come of it. Hell, sometimes she doesn’t even READ her mail…” You thought back to the mountains of untouched paperwork and correspondences that littered Maranth’s office.

“That’s fine! I’ll take that chance.” Said Okien.

“Do you have any paper?”

Okien hurried to find some stationary. You looked down at the tiny salamander.

“So… You want to be an adventurer?”

Onychylus gave you that slack jawed look children make when someone asks them a question they don’t know the answer to. Ah, right. She wasn’t fluent in Common yet.

“Here we are~” Okien slapped a piece of paper and an inkwell down on the counter.

You quickly wrote out a note to Maranth asking her if she could afford to let the kid in at a reduced rate.

“How do you write her name?” you asked.

“I’ll write it.” Okien shifted the paper over and scrawled her daughter’s name. “Your handwriting is awful.”

You scowled at her.

“Sorry! Sorry. Please, continue.” Okien waved her hands in front of her.

You finished your plea by signing your name at the bottom in English. Maranth had better let the kid in, even if she still charged a reduced tuition fee. That bastard owed you for all the shit she had put you through.

“There. No promises. That being said, I hope she gets in.” you said.

“Wonderful! I’m sure she’ll be singing your praises as she travels the world!” said Okien.

“I’ll listen for her name when the bards are singing ballads. You’re gonna be famous, right Onychylus?” You looked down at the child.

Her eyes went wide at the mention of her name. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s thigh and watched you.

“I’m sure she will be. Take care, human!” said Okien.

You scraped your bribe money back into your pouch and left.

“Bye, wishurd!” Onychylus waved as you departed.

You gave her a smile and made a little firework in the air with your magic. Onychylus oohed as the door shut behind you.

~~~~~~~~

“Do you see anything?”

The automaton’s glowing eyes flickered back to their normal brightness. “I detect no oppositional forces in the surrounding area.”

Gakke grunted. “Let’s go.”

It was sickening. To think that Gakke, Warden of Kamaka, would be reduced to such cowardice just to cross a field. The bastard legions of Soheiya had been dogging them ever since Gakke’s crippling defeat while en route to her sister. No doubt the dragoons knew who she was; no other soldier on the island looked like Gakke when she was clad in her armor. Only this morning had the buzzards stopped circling them as Gakke crept through the forest. For now, they were safe.

Gakke consulted her map again. Safe as they were, it was a fleeting reprieve. Soheiya’s cavalry would no doubt send a detachment to apprehend her. Capturing Kaizo and herself would force Moegara to capitulate. Gakke knew that Kaizo was likely already in custody. The fool had left most of her army to be torn to shreds on the road by lancers and centaurs. She only hoped that her renegade sister was able to secure the human in time. The losses Kamaka would incur to bail Kaizo out would be tremendous, but the mage would make a nice consolation prize.

Gakke clenched her gauntleted fist tighter. Damn it all. Such a waste. Nearby troops stepped farther away from her. Gakke took a deep breath. Calm yourself, Gakke. Now isn’t the time to be upset. Don’t let your temper get the better of you. Focus on the task at hand. How were you going to get the rest of your troops home? The map was almost worthless. Most of the topographical features were just dashes or curves. In the cartographer’s defense, the idea that anyone would willingly take one of the minor passes instead of a main pass was almost unthinkable. One point did stand out to her. Just beyond a bend in a main road, a short path led up into the mountains. It would have to do.

Folding the map, Gakke marched on. What was to become of her and Kaizo? Did she have a new brother-in-law? She could only hope. Gakke wondered what he looked like. It was a shame she hadn’t been able to see him for herself. A cute little mage would look nice lounging on one of the cushions in Kamaka’s court. She was a little jealous that Kaizo might be the one to marry him. By the accounts of Nokoribi’s soldiers, Anonymous was cute as a button. Wrathful and violent, but nice to look at when he wasn’t fighting. Gakke licked her lips. Normally she preferred her men a bit more diminutive, but if he was cute enough, she could overlook a bit of obstreperousness. As long as he snuggled like he was supposed to.

“Do we have a plan, General?” asked an amazon.

“Yes. There should be a pass that can take us over The Spine to the northwest.” Replied Gakke.

“To the northwest? I’ve never heard of such a pass.”

“It will be small, if it is there at all. I wish I could give you a more definitive plan. We’re cut off from Kamaka in the south by Soheiya’s forces. Going north through the next major path would take nearly a week, without consideration for the time needed to march back south to Kamaka. Faith is all we have right now.”

“Yes, General. I didn’t mean to doubt you.” Said the amazon.

“I understand. Your concern is appreciated; we can’t afford to make poor choices with such limited supplies.”

The remains of Gakke’s forces trudged on as their general daydreamed about snuggling cute wizards.

~~~~~~~~

Moegara sent another wave of Soheiya soldiers flying with a sweep of her mace. Impudent bastards! To think they would have the gall to mount such an offensive.

A sea of banners flapped in the wind of the southern pass as the coalition of forces from the plains waited for their turn to battle. Moegara was right to dispatch the additional forces here. She had arrived just in time to hold against the brunt of the onslaught. Though the odds seemed insurmountable, Moegara knew better. As long as these forces could be held in the pass, this coalition could be held off indefinitely. After all, these were merely flabby plains folk. The worst thing most of these ‘soldiers’ had dealt with before the war were cutpurses and rowdy drunks. Moegara raised her club. Monsters before her turned their backs and scattered to avoid the incoming blow. Cowards.

Moegara took a second to breath as the fray receded around her. Kamaka forces were surging into the other armies as the coalition leaders desperately tried to rally their troops. They wouldn’t last long. What a Kamaka soldier lacked in formal training, they made up for in experience. It was hard to find anyone who didn’t have at least one battle’s worth of combat experience under their belt, save for a few cushy districts in the cities. It was these soldiers that carved the shogunate out of southwest Zipangu.

“Shogun! The otohime’s army has surfaced at the shore!” called a messenger harpy.

Damn. Moegara had a hunch that the bitch would be joining the fray after Kaizo stole her boat full of boytoys.

“We can’t spare any forces. They’re a day’s march from Kamaka, so let them gain-“

“They are already engaged with Lady Kaizo’s forces.”

“Kaizo is on the other side of the mountain range!”

“I’m not sure if her ‘troops’ know that, Shogun. The privateers of Ensiumi have clashed with them on the docks. There are several mamono all claiming to be in command and receiving orders from Kaizo.” Said the harpy.

Moegara pursed her lips. Incredible. Even when she was trapped halfway across the island, Kaizo STILL managed to cause problems for the enemy.

“Have we heard anything from Kaizo or Gakke?” shouted Moegara.

“Yes, Shogun. A harpy from Gakke’s platoon managed to make it back to Kamaka. She’s attempting to find a pass that will take her over the Spine. Kaizo’s whereabouts are unknown.”

Moegara mulled over the news as she watched the battle. Gakke was a smart girl. More than that, she was tough as stone. She could find a way over the Spine. Unless she was caught… Having to ransom two daughters would be costly. The way things stood now, the coalition wouldn’t be able to push through the pass with a blitz as they had hoped. If Moegara could hold them here, she could push them into a stalemate. Even if they captured Kaizo, she could simply pay to have her daughter returned. These fools didn’t have the strength to force her to cede any territory to them. On the other hand, if BOTH Kaizo and Gakke were captured, the coalition may insist on land in exchange for their release. If any of the eastern city-states managed to establish a foothold on the west side of the pass, it would be a huge disadvantage to Kamaka in any subsequent conflicts.

“I need you to find Royoshi. She should be somewhere near the enemy’s back line by now. Tell her to go retrieve Gakke and Kaizo. If we learn Kaizo has been captured, tell her to split her forces. The kunoichi can see attempt to free Kaizo; Royoshi’s priority is making sure Gakke doesn’t fall into enemy hands.”

“At once, Shogun.”

Arrows leapt into the air after the harpy as she took flight over the enemy troops. Satisfied with her break, Moegara hoisted her club again and charged at the retreating monsters.

~~~~~~~~

Your departure from Heida was lukewarm at best. Monsters you passed gave you a weak nod or a tight-lipped smile. Those with bandages shot you scowls and sidelong glares as you left. After enough half-hearted goodbyes, you decided to just keep your head down as you left. You looked over the ruined field as you walked down the road. The elementalists had already repaired the scar in the earth. Only the darker tint to the cropless soil and a few weapons sticking awkwardly out of the ground were the only signs that a conflict had ever taken place. What a mess you made. No matter where you went, you always managed to make trouble for people. And yet, you always found people who were willing to risk everything to help you. You would have to pay your friends a visit once you got married. What were they all up to now, you wondered?

At the crossroads just outside Heida, you checked your map one last time. About a day’s hike north before you arrived at the ryu’s shrine. With any luck this one would be more accessible than the last.

~~~~~~~

Your journey to the ryu’s shrine was mercifully uninterrupted for once. The gawks of a few merchant carts were the worst you had to endure. Looking up and down the road, you tried to make sense of where you were. This LOOKED like the right place. You had been careful to keep your bearings as you narrowed in on the bend Shikinu had marked. By your judgement, the path up to the ryu’s shrine should be around here somewhere. It was certainly a fitting place for a shrine. The mountains were steeper here. Abrupt cliffs receded into wide shelves of rock covered in verdant foliage, only to continue their sharp ascent farther beyond. Slowing your pace, you kept your eyes on the side of the road. There MUST be some testament to the ryu’s presence. 

The road ahead of you looked different. Not much different, just enough to grab your attention. It seemed strange to call this section of dirt road more ‘well maintained’ than the rest of the path, yet that’s exactly how you would describe it. There was a slight gradient as you crossed from the original road onto the new section of dirt. A change in the color of soil. You noted that there were fewer rocks, fewer potholes and even less dust on this new segment. This HAD to be it.

Bingo. A tori! Or whatever the Zipangunese equivalent was.

A footpath led down off the road a ways under the arch. It was massive! You felt foolish worrying about missing this; you’d have to be blind to not see it. The tori must have been almost seven meters tall. The two supports to the arch looked like they were made from tree trunks. Though the tori was etched with a swath of ornate designs, the weathering of the paint and slight overgrowth of the trail hinted that the keepers of the monument weren’t as diligent as they were detailed. A solid stone sat in the center, etched with the symbol for rain. Oh yeah, this was it.

Hurrying down the path, you paused to read a small plaque at the base of the tori. You couldn’t comprehend much of the Zipangunese. It seemed to be some sort of description of Zutari. Judging by the way it was written and the flowery language, you guessed that this was some sort of prose about the mistress of the shrine and her deeds. There were a lot of words on that plaque that weren’t in your translation guide… You hoped she didn’t speak in some strange, antiquated dialect.

The path through the tori was more than just a means to a destination. It wound lazily around hillocks and depressions. The forest was no longer wild here. Underbrush was scarce, and tastefully placed when present. Trees formed scars over the wounds where low limbs been pruned off, their higher branches laden with moss. Zipangunese maples (whatever they were over here) shed their fiery leaves to form a thin red carpet around themselves. Lichen covered rocks stood vigil in the spaces between plants. A spring gurgled out of sight nearby. You didn’t dare set foot of the path, lest you break the immaculate stillness of it all.

The tranquility of the glade reminded you: you were on your way to petition a goddess for her hand in marriage. Again, you felt the tumult of words spew into your brain as you contemplated what to say to her. You would also need to change into some fresh clothes. Somewhere to wash up before you met her would be nice, too.

Your prayers were answered as you came across a tiny bridge over a stream. Maybe tiny wasn’t the right word… It was short, but wide enough for an ushi to cross with ease. Sturdy enough for one too. You looked over your shoulder. No one coming from that direction. Straining your ears, you listened for any other pilgrims coming from the shrine or the road. Satisfied that you weren’t going to be interrupted, you quickly disrobed and slid into the stream.

Speed-bathing had become a specialty of yours. In a world of rapist fishes, rapist liquids, amphibious rapists, and opportunistic terrestrial rapists, being able to clean yourself off and redress before you were happened upon was crucial to maintaining your purity. The stream was only a meter deep at most. You hunched at the waist to dip your entire body into the cool stream. Snatching a bar of soap from your bag on the bank, you scrubbed the grime from your face. In less than a minute, you were squeaky clean. Stepping up onto the bank, you put your shirt and pants on. Sitting on a dirty shirt, you dipped your muddy feet into the stream. Toweling them off, you slipped a fresh pair of socks on. Done. You gave your shirt a sniff. Smelled good! Monsters probably cared more about the way your soul smelled anyways, but it never hurt to have your corporeal form smell tantalizing as well. You ran your hand through your hair. Once it dried, you would comb it. 

The path snaked through the glade to a set of stairs carved into the face. This cliff was only slightly less precipitous than the surrounding rock. Still, that seemed reason enough to construct a shrine here. Switchbacks zigzagged upward, punctuated by small ‘landings’ of greenery. Some of them even had statues. Above it all, the snowy summit loomed impassively over the cliffs and glade. A narrow spire of black rock, wreathed in a ring of clouds. You wondered if that was a natural phenomenon, or if the ryu used her natural talents to sculpt them in such a shape.

You took the time to let your hair dry as you marveled at the wonder. Tall as the mountain was, its shadow didn’t fall on the glade or temple. This ryu really knew how to pick a location. Feeling your hair return to its natural state, you quickly made a few passes through it with your comb. Inspecting yourself in a pocket mirror, you gave yourself a firm nod. You were going to march up there, and you were going to get yourself a cute dragon wife. And NOTHING was going to stop you.

~~~~~~~

The ascent up the mountain was trivial. No cliffs, no traps, no monsters. Just stairs. Halfway up the cliff, you took a break. No sense getting sweaty when you had just finished bathing yourself. A stone bench next to a statue beckoned you to sit.

Sit you did. Savoring the coolness of the stone, you took a swig of water and appreciated the statue next to you. A beautiful ryu was wrapped around a tiny rendering of the planet, lovingly cradling it in her lap. Was Zutari a motherly type? She was certainly a looker. And monster statues NEVER did justice to the real deal. If a chunk of stone could make your heart skip a beat, what would you do when you met Zutari in person? Keep it together Anon…

Other landings were formatted in the same way: bench, statue, vegetation pruned just enough to seem natural without being an eyesore. The statues retained their theme as well. Zutari reaching out a claw to a horde of miniscule figures below, Zutari holding a cloud aloft, Zutari spreading her arms as monsters and humans prostrated themselves below her. Some of them seemed to be a reflection of Zutari’s altruism. Others felt like an unbridled narcissist had gotten access to a leanan sidhe’s commission slots. The statue on the final landing stuck out from the rest.

A stone Zutari coiled around a chunk of rock. Her human torso was positioned in front of it, claws reaching up as if to cup something. Her face bore a wistful smile, hovering inches from the hunk of stone. You gulped. Position available, inquire inside. Dashing up the last flight of stairs, you spared yourself from humiliation by catching yourself as your foot clipped the last step. Staggering forward, your breath caught in your throat.

Now THIS was a temple. 

Unlike the previous shrine you had visited, this monolithic complex rose unapologetically skyward. Nestled farther back towards the summit was a towering, multistory building that stood over all other segments. Edifices tapered in height as the distance from the central tower increased. The entire shrine must have been perfectly constructed so that travelers on the road and stairs wouldn’t be beholden to the palatial temple until they were standing here at the entrance.

There was no overgrowth here. The harmonious balance between nature and beauty was foregone altogether in favor of sterile uniformity. Seas of meticulously raked white gravel swirled around boulders and tightly trimmed trees. An avenue of paving stones split the rocks on either side, leading through a courtyard into the buildings beyond. You glimpsed the same style of spartan trees and shrubs placed around the ornamental ponds within the courtyard. Farther on, buildings sealed the rest of the complex off. A distant path split through the mountains on one side of the temple. Prayer flags on a rope flapped in the wind between the two walls of rock it hung between. Looks like this place had a back entrance as well. 

You stood underneath another massive tori, drinking the sight in. Until you noticed the shirohebi watching you. The girl was giving you a look somewhere between bemused indifference and mild contempt.

“Uhh… Hello.” You said in Zipangunese.

Any amusement the snake-girl derived from seeing such a strange human melted off her face. To her credit, her smile never faltered. The light just dimmed in her eyes, now full of exasperation.

“Hello, traveler.” The shirohebi made no attempt to speak in Zipangunese. “That’s quite an accent you have. What land do you hail from?”

Shit. You didn’t think your pronunciation was THAT bad. This whole time you had hoped to be able to greet your wife in Zipangunese when you met her. You knew the words, but some of the damn syllables put your tongue into knots. It had been an endless source of amusement among the recovering monsters in Heida to coax you into mangling their language.

“That’s a matter for debate. I don’t have a single place I call home.”

“Oh! You own many properties. I see.” The shirohebi relaxed a bit.

“Err… No. None, actually…”

The snake stiffened again. Her smile widened. You watched the tip of her tail flick back and forth in annoyance. “I see. Are you here to visit the shrine? The donation plate is in the courtyard. Don’t try to sneak into the mansion.”

Turning her back on you, she continued to rake the gravel.

“I’m here to-“

“Donate? Any sum will do. Lady Zutari appreciates your tithe no matter how insignificant it may be.” The shirohebi cut you off. She beamed at you with shut eyes.

“I’m here to see the Lady.” You said firmly.

“Lady Zutari is very busy. She doesn’t have time to entertain all the pleas of the commoners who visit her shrine.” She turned her back to you.

“There’s nobody else here!”

The shirohebi turned away from her work and slithered over to you. Rearing up onto her tail, she hovered over you. Your appearance gave her pause. Her mien shifted from angry to confused as she looked you over. She bent her body to either side of you, inspecting you as you stood there. Making one last pass in front of you, the snake tried to subtly sniff you. No doubt trying to get a feel for your essence. Though she tried to be discreet, her eyebrows twitched as she caught your scent.

The shirohebi retracted herself into a normal lamia standing position. “Where did you say you were from?”

“Like I said, I’m not ‘from’ anywhere.”

Her aloof demeanor was wasted on you. She was curious. Judging by the lack of patrons, you might be the most exciting thing that had happened to the shine all week. Even if you weren’t as rich or famous as the other patrons, this girl would be remiss if she didn’t get some entertainment out of such a strange creature. Her eyes flitted over your face, trying to deduce the truth of your statement.  
“I see. And you’ve come to petition Lady Zutari for something?” she asked carefully.

“Yes.” You gulped as you said it.

Her eyes flashed when she saw your throat twitch. You were in for it now. Swallowing like that was a display of weakness you couldn’t afford at a time like this.

“Very well, foreigner. Come with me.”

The hiss of her scales over the stones was barely audible. You dogged along behind her, clumsily trying not to step on her tail while following at a reasonable distance. As you walked, you took the chance to get a better look at her outfit. It was a shine-maiden getup, no doubt about that. Unlike the profile picture for shirohebis, this cloak was tinged with a bronze color instead of lavender. Zipangunese words circled some sort of insignia. A dragon, presumably Zutari in her ancestral form, roared as it curled around a mountain. Neat.

The shirohebi stopped in the courtyard. A massive brass bowl stood before a small alter. Coins and small envelopes littered the bottom.  
“Wait here. If you try to steal anything, we’ll melt the skin off your mongrel hide.”

She gently nodded her head to the bowl. You nodded. Her brow lowered a bit and she looked between you and the offering bowl again. Oh. You pulled out your coin pouch. Gotta pay the piper…

The shirohebi slithered away through a sliding door next to the alter. You deposited a few coins into the basin. She almost came to a complete halt while she passed through the door, as if listening for something. Chuckling, she shook her head and disappeared. Bitch. You weren’t exactly rolling in money here!

There were no benches to speak of in the courtyard. With nothing else to do, you meandered around looking at the various plants and statues. Koi fish swam in lazy circles in their tiny ponds. Didn’t they need more space? You watched as one bumped into another. The aggrieved fish thrashed its tail and floated away. Taking a morsel of food from your pack, you tossed the fish some jerky bits.  
A few minutes later, the sliding door slid open and the shirohebi returned. “You, come with me.”

Oh boy. This was it. Wife time, baby. If all went well, you might be spending the night lounging in your lover’s coils. You shuddered at the prospect. At long last…

Funny, a part of you almost regretted that the journey was almost over. It felt like you were leaving something behind. A piece of yourself that would die once you were wed. Were you lamenting the prospect of losing your freedom? No, that wasn’t quite it. For some reason, you couldn’t pin down the cause of such melancholy. You shook your head. Couldn’t let your wife see you all dour like this. A confident smile should be the first thing she sees.

The shirohebi led you towards the tower at the back of the complex. You passed through an inner courtyard, MUCH more extravagant than the first. This was clearly intended to be a pleasure garden. Less austere and more inviting. You had the feeling that the first courtyard was designed to get pilgrims to relinquish their offerings and leave as quickly as possible. The shirohebi’s pace made savoring the scenery impossible. She slithered silently along the mossy stone path towards two large doors set into the wall of the tower.

As you two approached, they swung open. Serpentine tails slid behind their owners as two more shrine maidens pulled open the heavy doors from the inside. Other shirohebis watched from the sides of the throne room as you entered. And there she was.  
A far cry from the encyclopedia picture. Zutari was coiled like a serpent on her throne, one of the special snail-shell style pillars that snake monsters could rest comfortably on. Bronze scales shimmered as sunlight streamed in behind you. Slate gray hair cascaded down around her shoulders and along the top of her tail in a fuzzy ridge. Lilac eyes bore into you from underneath her corkscrew shaped antlers. Zutari’s ornate kimono was sky blue with pink petals stitched into the pattern. Quite the color pallet. 

The ryu watched you with muted interest as you entered. She took a hit from the kiseru in her claw. You noticed that her face wasn’t as angular as her statues depicted her to be. A little rounder. She was still breathtakingly attractive, just not the seductress that the stone had made her out to be. Zutari cocked an eyebrow and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

{So, another supplicant comes to solicit me. Tell me, human, what are you? Panophis claimed you were a strange one, but you look positively alien.}

Zutari’s voice was cool and smooth. She spoke with the confidence of someone absolutely certain of their authority. Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It would seem your first impression would be asking Zutari to speak your language.

{He can only speak Common, Lady Zutari.} said the shirohebi next to you.

The other snakes snickered in the wings. Zutari snorted and gave you a bemused smile.

“Long has it been since I have spoken in this guttural, outlander tongue. What are you?”

“Human, milady.” You answered.

“And where are you from, human?”

“Many places, Heida most recently.” Best to give her something to work with instead of some vague answer.

“Hmm? That timber town with the bean fields?” Zutari shot you a condescending grin.

“Yes. Shikinu informed me-“

“Who?”

“The mayor of Heida, Shikinu.” You said slowly.

“Ah! Yes, her. Forgive me, I meet so many commoners. Impossible to keep track of them all.” Zutari gave you a dismissive wave and drew on her pipe.

“She informed me that there was a ryu inhabiting this shrine.” You continued.

“Of course, my reputation precedes me. I am known far and wide across this land as a bringer of life and fortune. Hundreds make the journey to my shrine every year just to pay me tribute. They all wish to be beholden to my splendor, but alas! Only the most privileged may bask in my grandeur.” Zutari used her free hand to flick her hair out behind her.

You blinked. Not quite sure what to make of that…

“Panophis insisted that I grant you an audience. She promised it to be jocular. How I’m supposed to derive any amusement from such a droll specimen is beyond me, but you DO look queer enough to provide some modicum of divertissement. Hmm.” She blew her smoke at you and relaxed against one side of her throne. “Tell me, what are your intentions with Heida?”

“Lady Zutari?” you asked.

“Eugh. Please, refrain from uttering my name with that strident accent of yours.” Zutari glared at you.

Your eye twitched. You were going to have to help her learn a lesson in humility when you got married. “Forgive me, your grace. I don’t understand your question. I have no intentions with Heida.”

“No? You went through all the trouble to acquire a town, only to leave it in the hands of the peasantry? I suppose I can understand that. Fewer obsequious vermin to beseech you for aid every time something goes wrong. Just collect your rents and be done. I suppose that’s what you must do with all your estates if you travel so much.” Said Zutari.

The shirohebi next to you stifled a laugh. Turning away from you, she slithered over to a gaggle of her sisters.

“I don’t own Heida.” You said.

Zutari frowned. “I thought you said you were from many places, and that Heida was the most recent. You don’t own multiple estates? Did I perhaps misinterpret what you were saying? It’s so hard to articulate oneself with this atrocious speech.”

“I don’t own any property.” You said.

The ensuing silence was oppressive. Smoke wafted out of Zutari’s pipe as she stared slack jawed at you. She burst into laughter. The shirohebi followed suite, no longer worrying about breaking their mistress’s decorum.

“You mean to tell me that you AREN’T of noble blood? You don’t own so much as an ACRE of land?” wheezed Zutari.

“N-no…” The shame was unbearable. You wanted to leave. But you couldn’t. Something about Zutari’s imperious personality demanded you stay until she dismissed you.

“Unbelievable! A pauper who has the audacity to ask for an audience with a GODDESS! Truly the insolence of humans knows no bounds.” Her smile was cruel and mocking.

You stared back at her, trying to keep your composure.

“Lady Zutari, don’t be so harsh. Think of the courage it must take for such a lowly man to ask something of you!” jeered Panophis.  
“Right you are, dear Panophis. A magnanimous being such as myself should be honored that even the most mundane of people think I have the humility to entertain every petty appeal they make of me. Go on then, vagabond. What is it you desire?” Zutari was on the edge of her seat. You knew damn well that she was just using you for her own amusement. Still, you felt compelled to speak.

“I-I’ve come…” you took a deep breath and looked her in her lilac eyes. “to ask for your hand in marriage.”

The shirohebis were already in hysterics by the time you said “hand.” White snakes fell about each other, clutching their side and each other as they cackled. Herb spilled from Zutari’s pipe as she roared with laugher, clutching her armrest with her pipe hand and pounding on it with the other. Tears rolled down her face.

“No! Please! I beg you, tell me that you jest! That this is some sort of ruse by one of my underlings!” wheezed Zutari.

You clenched your fists trying to think of something to say. All you could hear in your head was the roar of laughter echoing through the throne room around you.

“By my scales, it’s true! The sojourning mendicant seeks to wed divinity!” howled Zutari.

You felt sick. All this time, all this effort, for this? How much had you sacrificed to get here? To be mocked like this…  
“Waters above… It’s been too long since I laughed like that.” Zutari wiped her eyes. “Oh, human. Don’t give me that look. Did you REALLY think that you were going to walk into my palace and marry me? That I would agree to a union with a man who can offer me nothing? I’ve had offers of marriage from merchants, nobility, even a prince. I’m still entertaining the idea of a few of them; can’t be too hasty choosing a partner after all. And I can afford to be fastidious; there’s no end to the suitors I receive. What can you offer me? You have no land, no pedigree, and no dominion over any people. Do you have even a coin to your name?”

“Not many!” said Panophis.

You wished you could tell her she was wrong. After your donation, you were dangerously low on funds.

“You really don’t have anything, do you? Maybe I should be the one giving YOU money. Alms for the indigent. A fool like yourself must have trouble finding ways to feed himself.” Said Zutari.

“I can love you!” you blurted. You instantly regretted it. A desperate attempt to reclaim some of your lost dignity.

The cacophony of laughter roared through the chamber again. The tip of Zutari’s tail slapped her throne as it twitched back and forth.  
“Love he says! Oh, you naïve human. I’m WORSHIPED by thousands. They would give their very souls to me for a kind glance in their direction. Of all the ways to be measured against your rivals, ‘love’ is the metric in which you are most exceeded.” Zutari giggled. Smoke spurted out of her pipe in puffs as she tried to inhale on it while laughing.

That was enough. Turning your back on the awful excuse for a goddess, you made for the doors.

“Ah! Human! Come here. I’m not done with you yet.” Commanded Zutari.

“I’m done with you.” You growled.

The shirohebis snickered.

“My! Are you all riled up, hmm? I should have known better. The ego of the impoverished is so fragile after all. I want to take a better look at you. There’s something I can’t quite put my claw on…” Zutari’s eyes narrowed as she inspected you.

“His mana smells wrong, Lady Zutari.” Said Panophis.

Zutari waved her claw. You grunted as lilac light surrounded you and wrenched you towards her. Fuck she was strong! It was easy to forget how powerless you were in the grand scheme of things. Compared to experience mages and ‘high level’ monsters, you were nothing more than an insect. She released you from her grasp at the base of her throne. You staggered to the ground.

“Hmm…” Zutari sniffed the air. “Indeed. You are a mage, aren’t you human? I can practically see the essence radiating off of you.”

“I dabble.” You said curtly.

“Don’t play coy, human. Honesty suites you peasants best. I’d wager by the scars on your hands that you’re no stranger to battle, no?”

“I avoid conflict when I can.”

“A wise tenet to adhere to, if a bit boring. Have you fought anything exciting recently? Any beasts or ruffians?” asked Zutari.  
You squirmed. Was it wise to tell her about Kaizo? On one hand, you did wallop a good chunk of her forces on your own. On the other hand, if she got the story corroborated by the monsters in Heida, Zutari would learn that the battle culminated in you blasting yourself into a wall, only to be saved by reinforcements. You could tell her that you fought Kaizo. You did stay conscious longer than her, that counts as a win, right? All you had to do was omit the details.

“I tangled with one of Moegara’s daughters recently, Kaizo.”

Zutari stared at you. The shirohebis were similarly nonplused.

“You… aren’t lying, are you?” said Zutari carefully.

“No.”

“You’re sure it was Kaizo, foreigner? I think you mistook some ordinary oni for the Brackish Beauty. A princess of Kamaka wouldn’t venture so far east.” Said Zutari.

“It was her. Short, long hair, pointy horns, couldn’t dress herself properly to save her life.” You said.

Zutari took a hit from her pipe with a look of annoyance. “She is known to be a trifle behind the contemporary vouges… I surmise you must have beaten her if you stand here before me. I admit human, that is an interesting feat. Perhaps you’re more useful than you seem; if lacking in worldly possessions.”

“Are you done yet?” you asked.

Zutari flashed a condescending smirk. “No.”

She flicked a claw upward. Your shirt flapped up.

“What the hell?!” you protested.

“Oh my. I see you have something those nobles don’t. Flab is so unprepossessing, wouldn’t you agree? I like my men a little firmer~” smiled Zutari. “But I must inquire, what causes that sickly complexion of yours? Your arms are tanned, but your belly is pale as the moon.”

“This is normal where I’m from.” You said.

“I see. A bit unnerving to see all those veins pumping beneath your skin, but I suppose it has its appeal.” Said Zutari.

“Wonderful. NOW are you finished?” you said.

“Mmm… Yes. I’m done. You’re a strange human, that’s to be certain. A cut above the rest of the rabble. If for some inconceivable reason my other suitors all find themselves in the hands of other mamono, I’d consider you.”

“Don’t bother. I’d hate to taint your precious lineage with my serf blood.” You stormed out the doors into the courtyard.

“Noooo~ Don’t leave me, mage!~ What will I do without you?~” mocked Zutari as you left.

Seizing the doors with your magic, you slammed them shut. One of the massive wooden slabs slumped, ripped off at one of its hinges. The shirohebi’s began clamoring amongst themselves inside. You sprinted out of the temple before you were incinerated by a vindictive white-snake.

~~~~~~~~

Unbelievable. Unreal! This couldn’t be happening!

You lashed out with your magic, pulverizing an innocent rock on your way back through the glade at the bottom of the mountain.  
After all this time, all this effort, you finally meet a ryu, and she has to be the biggest cunt on the island! Zutari wasn’t a kind, confident water goddess, she was a bitch! Were they all like this? Shikinu said that Zutari was vainer than the other ryu, but by how much? If they were even half as arrogant as Zutari, you might be inclined to give up on the idea of ryus altogether! Was it so damn hard to find someone who treated you like a normal human being?

Of course, it was. Monsters did the things they did BECAUSE you were a human. How many monsters had treated you the way you asked to be treated since you arrived? You could think of a few off the top of your head. Your chest tightened as you thought of them. Maybe this was all a mistake. Was this your fall? Had you finally flown too close to the sun in your own conceited quest for a wife?  
You rested your head against the tori at the entrance to the glade. Channeling your magic, you slammed a fist into the wood. Splinters and paint chips burst out from the pole onto the ground.

There HAD to be someone for you here. The idea that you might be pinched by a random stranger, one whom you didn’t choose or didn’t get along with was too much to bear. It COULD NOT end like that.

Finishing your self-pitying, you stepped back up onto the road and unfolded your map.

“Oh!”

You looked up. A towering mountain of metal looked down. For a moment, you didn’t understand what you were looking at. Then it dawned on you that this gargantuan chunk of steel was a monolithic maiden. She was huge! Around eight feet tall by the looks of it. Some of the bigger monsters in Valisias were around her height, but none of them had the width to back it up like this monster. You couldn’t tell what she looked like under all the armor, but you knew by the breadth of her torso that she wasn’t an hourglass. Every inch of her body was covered in armor. Even her face was hidden by an ornate visor. Metal horns protruded from the helmet’s forehead, adding even more height to her already imposing figure.

Only after the initial shock abated did you notice her cadre of armored companions. Knights in western style armor stood behind the one in front of you. Two dozen sets of eyes gazed blankly at you. What the hell was this? No one wore this style of armor in Zipangu. Who were these people? You stood with your mouth agape, unsure of how to proceed.

“Hail, traveler.” Said the giant. Her voice was a little unsteady.

“Uhh, hail…” you replied.

There was a long pause. You could feel the knight’s eyes looking you over from behind her visor.

“General, I believe this to be the-“

An automaton in the soldier’s ranks was dogpiled by the soldiers next to her. Did she say General?

“Silence. I’ll handle this.” Barked the knight.

You blenched. This was clearly a monster who was used to giving orders. Intimidating and confident. No wonder none of these girls had tried to jump you.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” The knight held her hands up to show she didn’t mean any harm.

“It’s alright. Anyways, I have to be on my way.” You turned and quickly walked away.

“NO.” The ground shook as she took a step towards you. “I mean, surely you have a moment to converse with a fellow traveler, no?”

You gulped.

“I see you came from the shrine. I’m a pilgrim myself. In fact, we were just on our way to visit this shrine ourselves. Faith is important, no?” said the General.

You nodded.

“What’s the matter, human? You seem distraught. Is something bothering you?” The knight took a step forward. You retreated two steps back to match the distance of her stride.

“Don’t back away from me human, I won’t harm you. Tell me what’s troubling you. Perhaps I can help?” Said the knight.

“I’m not in the mood to talk.” You said bitterly.

“Does it have anything to do with the Lady of the shrine?” asked the giant.

You glowered at her. “There’s no Lady up there, just a spoiled brat. You’d do better to give your tithe to the poor.”

“Hmm…”

The knight looked you over intently. She glanced back at her soldiers. A succubus mouthed something and made a subtle motion with her hands.

“Did you by any chance get rejected, traveler?” asked the knight.

You glared at her. A few of her soldiers winced. 

“Fret not, human. She was a fool to spurn the love of such a beautiful man. I’m certain that you shall find a more apt suitor~”

The knights behind her squirmed. Your feet began to carry you backwards. 

“Stay.” Growled the knight.

You stayed. Her voice was too commanding to disobey. Coupled with her size, this woman gave pharaohs a run for their money when it came to giving orders.

“You’re single, right? I can smell it on you; you haven’t been claimed. That’s nothing short of a miracle, really. To think that so many monsters passed up such a perfect little human…”

“I have to go.” You said weakly.

“Shh… I’m not going to hurt you. I would NEVER tarnish something so pretty. Human, how would you like to get married?” The knight took another step forward.

You gulped. A deep laugh rumbled out of the armor.

“That was adorable! Don’t worry human. I promise that you would LOVE being married to me~ I’ve got the strength to protect you from the evils of the world, and the wealth to ensure we live the rest of our days in luxury. A cute little thing like you deserves to be spoiled. I can tell by your appearance that you’ve been living on the road a long time. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a mansion to come back to? A nice, big, wife to hold you close? Someone to shower you with affection when you’re feeling low, like you are now? Someone to greet while you wear a cute little apron after I get home from a long campaign?”

Her fingers began to twitch. Heavy breaths poured out of her helmet. The soldiers behind her looked like they were watching a train wreck. Some of them were whispering amongst themselves and pointing at their leader. You were paralyzed with fear.

“Because I’VE been looking for someone like YOU. Someone I can pamper. Someone I can pour all my love into. Someone who can bear me beautiful daughters. Someone whose hair I can run my fingers through as they sit in my lap. Someone I can hold every night, mashing your face into my breasts while I grab handfuls of that perky little ass. Someone-“

“General!” cried a succubus. Their leader paused her rant and cleared her throat.

“As I was saying, you're perfect. That elusive juxtaposition: a delicate veneer that beguiles resilience. You’re scared. I can see it in your eyes. But I see that curiosity flickering in the back of your mind. You’re so very special, Anonymous. Someone I can be rough with. Someone who won’t break when I love them. More than anything, I want a cute little husband that will greet me with a smile every day when we wake up, and every night when we go to bed. That’s not too much to ask, is it? A man who can love me just as much as I love him? I admit, I can be temperamental. Sometimes I lose myself. That’s why I need you, Anonymous. I need someone who can accept me, ALL of me, and keep smiling. Marry me, and I promise to show you the lap of luxury, the joys of love, and the depths of pleasure.”

You raised your wards. “How do you know my name?”

The woman flinched. You heard a sibilant rasp from her helmet as she sucked her lip. She took a few deep breaths and shook her head.

“Seems I got a little carried away there. I apologize. I am Gakke, daughter of Moegara.” She said pounding her chest. You blushed in spite of yourself when you saw how much her armor jiggled.

Magic enveloped your hands, and you took a defensive stance. This couldn’t be happening! Gakke was supposed to be in chains on the way to Soheiya by now! The dragoon said that she was going to be engaged by heavy cavalry! Then again, it looked like he wasn’t lying… Most of the soldiers in Gakke’s company looked haggard. You guessed that there were a lot more of them when they started this journey…

“I know that you no doubt have a poor opinion of Kamaka after battling with my sister. Though I tried to control her, I failed. For that, you and the denizens of this countryside have my deepest apologies.” You blenched as Gakke bent over to bow. “I swear I will do everything in my power to rectify the misdeeds Kamaka has committed against these people.”

“Does that mean that you’re going to let me leave?” you asked.

Gakke took off her helmet. Her face was broader than Kaizo’s, matching her body. A touch more masculine, though she was still exceedingly beautiful as all monsters were. This gruffness was juxtaposed by the hint of fat on her face, giving her a faintly babyish appearance. The horns on her helmet were far larger than the squat, stubby protrusions they covered. You wondered if short horns were stigmatized in oni culture. Her hair was too sweaty and tangled to make out how she styled it, but you could piece together the rough outline of a pixie cut of deep-red hair as it settled. The color of her hair provided a surprisingly palatable contrast to her cinnabar skin.

“As an agent of Kamaka and a practitioner of chivalry, I would be obligated to let a man be on his way. As a woman, I cannot allow such an exemplary man to escape so easily.” Said Gakke sternly.

“I figured as much.”

You took a shot at her exposed head. Gakke moved her arm to block the attack with swiftness unbecoming of someone her size. Enchanted armor. Typical. When you found your wife, you were going to strangle whatever rat-bastard was passing these things out like candy.

“Anonymous, please. Come back to Kamaka with me. If you wed me, I promise that you will be treated as my equal. You can even decide how and when we consummate our marriage. I’ll even carry you there, if it would please you. You look like a man who would like to be held~”  
Your traitorous cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“I thought so~ Come, Anonymous. Become my husband so that I may love you! So that I may spend every night exploring that nice, slender body of yours. Finding all the places on that exotic, creamy skin that make you squirm! Staring into those beautiful eyes as I-“  
You shot her head. The magic hardly moved her head an inch. She sighed.

“You’re a little more bellicose than I’d like. That’s not all bad, I suppose. I do like the idea of you biting back a little~” Gakke hefted her club. “You understand why I have to do this, right? You understand the lengths one must go in pursuit of greatness.”

“That’s why I’m fighting.” You said.

“Indeed. Anonymous, I promise that once this is over, I’ll make you smile every day.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Time to fight.

~~~~~~~~

Moegara sank into the warm bath. Nothing like the bathhouses of Kamaka, but not bad for a forward encampment. The sooner she dealt with these foolish invaders, the sooner she could get back to a tub that could actually hold her entire body. Her legs dangled awkwardly over either side as she tried to submerge more of her torso.

“Mother, you have orders?”

If Moegara wasn’t in such a strange position, she may have rolled out of the tub entirely.

“Gods DAMNIT Royoshi. How many times must I tell you not to sneak up on me?!” snapped Moegara.

“Forgive me, mother. It was not my intent. You have orders for me?”

“I GAVE YOU ORDERS TWO DAYS AGO! Are you telling me you haven’t even LEFT yet?!” roared Moegara.

“If I had left, I would not be here.” Said Royoshi.

“What happened to the harpy I sent to find you?!” demanded Moegara.

“Harpy…? Oh, yes. I recall there WAS a harpy wearing our armor that was calling for me while I was infiltrating enemy headquarters. She put the whole encampment on high alert, yelling my name like that. Some elf shot her down.” Said Royoshi.

“And you didn’t think that you should TALK to the harpy that was yelling out your name and telling you to return to our camp?!”

“I was cross with her. I had to fight my way out of the camp because of her. Besides, I had to return with the documents.” Said Royoshi.

“You and your hunts… The enemy just sent word earlier today that they have Kaizo in custody. I need you to send some of your kunoichi to Soheiya to free her. Then, I want you and any remaining kunoichi to make sure Gakke gets back to Kamaka.” Said Moegara.

The exuberance in Royoshi’s eyes dimmed.

“Don’t give me that look. I know keeping your sister safe isn’t exciting. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what’s most important for Kamaka right now. They’ll bankrupt us if we can’t get those two back on the western side of the Spine.

“Yes, mother. I shall depart at once.” Royoshi gave a small bow and departed. Even walking through an allied camp, she was swift and silent.

Moegara rested her head against the edge of the tub and sighed. Some days, having all these troublesome daughters seemed more of a curse than a blessing.


	50. Chapter 50

Gakke gave a signal. The monsters behind her rushed forward to surround you. Holy shit, they were using TACTICS. Bulkier monsters were taking positions in front of crossbowmen. The swiftest soldiers in their ranks were flanking you. An automaton had some sort of gun pointed at your chest.

“Save that! We might need to shoot our way out if Soheiya catches up to us.” Said Gakke.

“Understood.” You sighed in relief as the gun slid back into her wrist.

The first volley of crossbow bolts peppered your shields. These soldiers were shockingly disciplined. Not one of them was moving out of formation to accost you. By now there were usually at least one or two opportunists who were trying to figure out a way to steal you for themselves. Dread began to set in. This might not be the simple melee that you anticipated.

“Don’t struggle too much, okay? I’ll try to make this quick.” Said Gakke.

She raised her massive mace aloft. You used your magic to propel yourself back as it slammed into the ground where you stood. The force of the blow nearly knocked you off your feet. Taking these hits on the chin wasn’t an option. Kaizo may have been quick enough to whittle you down, but you couldn’t deflect more than a few swings of that mace.

Going on the offensive, you wrenched the crossbows of the archers together. Bolts flew into the backs of the infantry protecting them. None of them fell. Though a few cried out in protest, their armor prevented any of the bolts from doing serious damage.

“Move up! Keep him in the ring!” ordered Gakke.

Monsters filed behind you, weapons at the ready. Gakke held her shield aloft as she slowly sidled towards you. You used your magic to scoop some dust off of the ground. Focusing on her visor, you blasted the torrent of dirt into her helmet. Gakke coughed and sputtered, rubbing at her visor with the back of her hand. Summoning a ward and fulcrum, you tried to flip her. The magic fizzled out as she stepped onto the ward. No easy way out of this fight.

Two of the soldiers made a lunge for you. You grabbed one by the ankle and swung her into the other. Seems the grunts were only wearing plate mail. That meant you had a fighting chance. A succubus leveled a crossbow at you. You snapped it in half. Getting rid of their range was the most important thing right now. Maybe if you could put some distance between yourself and this ring, you could escape.  
The wall of monsters closed in. Attacking became impossible as they prodded and feinted from all sides. Gakke continued her glacial advance. You launched yourself over the edge of the ring, farther up the road. The soldiers immediately moved to surround you again. Even without an order, they still left a corridor through their midst for the archers to fire at you. The need to block the bolts kept you from jumping again as they moved up on you. Time to show them what a REAL shot looks like.

You blasted an amazon at the vanguard. The shot connected with her raised shield She stumbled back into the other soldiers. Shaking it off, she smirked and continued towards you. Shit. Realm silver wasn’t the best defense against magic, but it did give the wearer slightly more arcane protection than steel. No more indiscriminate shooting, you were going to have to make every shot count.

More bolts whistled your way. You leapt to the side to avoid a few. Recognizing one of the monsters as a dullahan, you flicked her head off into the forest. Her body twisted towards her screaming head as it flew off. Undaunted, it continued on. Even if she was trying to stab you, the body’s commitment to the task at hand was laudable.

They were obviously cut from a different cloth than most other forces you had fought. Was it worth it to make a break for it? They all looked like they had already been through a few fights before the brawl began. That was a risky choice; these monsters could easily hunt you down if you didn’t get far enough away. There was also the risk of random monsters happening upon you while you were exhausted. Asking Zutari for help was out of the question; not a chance in cold hell she’d lend a hand after you broke her door. Dealing with them here was the best option you had. You might be able to peel away from them if they took enough casualties.

You grabbed a succubus’ leg and pulled it to one side. As she fell, you delivered an uppercut into her chin. She flopped to the ground.

“Keep pressure on him, damnit! Don’t let him cast like that!” Said Gakke.

She charged forward. The other monsters were already upon you. With no other choice, you launched yourself back again. You looked up the road as you landed. The terrain ahead was getting rougher. A dirt stripe snaked into the rocky foothills of the Spine. A perfect place to lose your pursuers. Maybe escape wasn’t out of the question after all. Irrespective of your ability to avoid Gakke’s forces, the crags would give you a tactical advantage. Monsters would be forced to move uphill into fire if they wanted to catch you. Sounded like a plan. Vaulting yourself up the road, you made for the hills.

“General! He’s getting away!” said a lizardman.

“At ease, soldier. He’s getting away; he hasn’t GOT away. We can track him into the hills. Keep your distance, let him wear himself out.” Said Gakke.

“General, what about your previous directive to return to Kamaka?” asked the automaton.

Gakke licked her lips as she watched the mage’s shirt flutter up in the wind. “Kamaka can wait. We’re just taking a detour~”

~~~~~~~

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.

The sharp ridges of earth that sprang up from the mutilated ground were an excellent deterrence against Gakke’s forces. However, this worked to Gakke’s advantage just as much as yours. Jumping and landing became a laborious task. The ground here was soft and rocky. More than once you had crashed through a rise or slid back down the face you had landed on as the soil gave way beneath your feet. One werewolf had even managed to grab your ankle after you slid down the gully she was in. Though you tossed her away before she could stab you, it was a solemn reminder that evading capture wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Even worse, the flora inhabiting these jagged hills was dense and scrubby, save for the wide trees above. You learned the hard way that jumping through those thorny bastards was a one-way ticket to exsanguination.

You wobbled on top of another ancient cascade of earth as it sagged beneath you. It might not be the easy escape you had hoped for, but fleeing into the badlands was working. Gakke’s soldiers bobbed up and down over the clefts and in the gullies as they followed you. A trickle of iridescent armor snaked all the way back to the big girl herself. Strange, they didn’t seem all that anxious to catch you. So far, only four of them had gotten close enough to warrant a counterattack. By your count, there were about twenty more soldiers remaining. You kept an eye out for a way to defeat them as you moved. A rockslide perhaps? It would have to be well controlled. You weren’t trying to KILL anyone after all. 

Leaning against the rough bark of a tree, you pondered what to do next. For all your fancy flying and attacking, you hadn’t widened the gap between you and Gakke very much. Their pace ebbed and flowed to match your own. If they were intent to follow you without fighting, they must be waiting for an opportunity to strike. Normally, you might consider throwing on the afterburners and moving as far away as you could. By using your magic to clear an obstacle that would take exponentially longer to circumvent on foot, you would be able to find a safe place to rest up and abscond before you were found. That tactic wouldn’t work with these girls. The ochimusha and automaton were nigh indefatigable. They did run out of energy eventually, but that could take days. The longest you could go without sleep was one night. After that, you would be too drained to resist. Finding sufficient terrain to lose them would be difficult, too. The automaton was equipped with a grappling hook. A fucking grappling hook. You watched as she launched the hook into a thick branch and swung towards you. Damn that was cool.

Maybe fighting was the way to go after all. This hike had taken a toll on some of the weaker monsters. A few staggered and wheezed behind their hulking leader as they clumsily plodded up the next rise. Why not see how much they had left in them? Taking a defensive stance, you warded up and waited for them to reach you.

The monsters reinvigorated at the sight of you standing still. Swinging around the hill below you, a handful at the vanguard attempted to flank you again. This time, the pocket was far larger. Monsters took positions behind rocks and trees, keen to stay out of a direct line of fire.

“Getting tired, Anon? I’ve got a comfy bedroll we can relax on if you give up. You can rest your head on my tits and listen to my heartbeat as you fall asleep!~” shouted Gakke.

“I’m haven’t even broken a sweat! Besides, we both know that you wouldn’t let me sleep.” You yelled back.

“I would! I mean, I would grope you a little bit… And it wouldn’t really be groping either! Just think of it as a massage. I know men like being squeezed by their lover.”

She was doing that hand thing again. Her fingers twitched back and forth as she no doubt imagined herself violating you. You prayed she was as restrained as she claimed to be if she did catch you. A girl her size made you fear for the safety of your hips.

A bolt whizzed past your head from behind. The archers hadn’t been firing at all lately. You didn’t know if it was your movement and the terrain that was keeping them from shooting at you, or insufficient ammunition. Another bolt plinked off your shields and confirmed that they were merely conserving ammo for better shots. That being said, there didn’t seem to be many archers remaining. You fired back at the demon who had shot at you, obliterating a chunk of the tree she was hiding behind.

And then all was quiet. The monsters eyed you from their cover. Gakke and a cluster of her soldiers stood with their shields raised at the top of an embankment.

“Well then? Come on! You wanted a fight, didn’t you?” you called.

“On the contrary, Anonymous! You’ll be the one “coming on!” Cumming on ME!” bellowed Gakke.

“Boss, that was terrible…” said a succubus contemptuously.

“Quiet!” snapped Gakke.

The succubus covered her head and twisted away from Gakke. Other knights shuffled away as well. Oh? Maybe Gakke wasn’t as restrained as you thought. Sure, she may be a little strange around you, but that wasn’t too out of the ordinary. There was a jinko in Valisias who would corner you, only to point at you with her claw. Never said a word, just stood there with her mouth opening and closing and a claw directed at your chest, scowling at you. After a few minutes, her face would get red and she’d leave. She was totally normal whenever you caught glimpses of her training or in other classes. Sometimes monsters just dropped their spaghetti around guys.

And how they dropped that spaghetti was important. The jinko was a mild case. Some other monsters grew so frustrated with their inability to articulate themselves or their rejection that they snapped. If your hunch was correct, Gakke was more the latter.  
“Hey Gakke! How did a princess like you never find a guy in Kamaka?” you called.

“None of them appealed to me.” She said. You couldn’t see her expression, but her tone was terser.

“Not one? You have a whole empire’s worth of men to choose from, and you couldn’t find a single man who tickled your fancy?”

“That’s right.” She said.

“I see. What a relief! For a second there, I could have sworn it was because you butchered your flirting every time you tried to woo a guy.” You stuck one arm out and leaned against the tree. Another bolt bounced off your ward. While you stared into the slit of Gakke’s visor, you gauged the reaction of her troops. A succubus and demon were both squirming in their armor. Gakke’s overbearing attitude must be veritable torture for the more romantically inclined species.

“Shut up! I could have any boy I wanted if any of them captured my interest!” roared Gakke.

One of the soldiers next to her grabbed Gakke’s arm and pulled her back. She murmured something into Gakke’s helmet and the giant relaxed.

“Hmph! I won’t be swayed by your words, human.” Gakke said confidently.

You inspected your nails. “Of course not. You’re so big, I doubt anything could sway you.”

Her hand wrung the handle of her mace hanging from her hip. The demon shouted an order in Zipangunese. A hail of bolts shot towards you from all sides. You flattened yourself against the dusty soil. Your wards tingled as darts peppered your prone form, others embedding themselves into the tree beside you.

“Move up!” barked the demon.

You readied your magic and stared down at a salamander who was inching up the hillock you were standing on. What an idiot. She should know that the only thing keeping her from getting tossed like a ragdoll was distance. Now that she was within range, she was easy-

The salamander smirked. You faltered. What was she smiling about? Her eyes flitted to the tree above you. You almost missed it, but she broke eye contact for a split second to glance up at something. Oh no.

The ocelomeh landed on you before you had time to react. She must have stripped off her armor to climb the tree without making any noise. In one swift motion, she had your arms pinned at your side. Her claws dimpled the skin on your wrists as she wrestled you. The other monsters howled with excitement as they saw you fall. You weren’t out of the fight yet. If there’s one thing you remembered from all of Gelvie’s lessons, it was how to writhe your way out of grapples. As long as you could squirm enough to keep her busy…

You shot out a tendril of magic and slammed it into her side. She winced. Capitalizing on the opportunity, you twisted your arm up and blasted her off of you. The salamander lunged at you. Grabbing her leg with magic, you pulled it towards you. She slipped backwards as her outstretched leg was forced up into the air. Scrambling through the dirt to her, you drove your magic soaked fist into her exposed face as she tried to recover. The ‘mander cartwheeled down the ravine to the feet of the other monsters. More bolts ricocheted off your ward. Gakke’s soldiers had stopped their advance. Monsters behind you quickly dove into cover. You inched up the hill towards the cliffs to keep them in view.

“Are you alright, Anon?”

Gakke was trying to get a better look at you while keeping her body hidden behind her massive shield. You wondered what she meant until you felt a trickle of blood fall off your wrist. Looks like the ocelomeh had scraped you during the scuffle.

“It’s just a scratch.” you said. “Good thing it wasn’t you who landed on me. Otherwise, I’d be dead.”

Gakke jolted. “I told you, I’d never hurt you!”

“Intentionally. Tell me, how many men have you almost crushed in those arms of yours? Or did they all run before you could hug them?”  
Gakke’s mace trembled in her grip. One of her soldiers was pleading with her. Gakke relaxed again. She barked something in Zipangunese, and the girl retreated.

“Keep moving! I want him captured.” barked Gakke.

She raised her shield and moved towards you. Unlike your encounter on the road, she was less cautious with her approach. Gakke’s armor rasped against itself as she confidently approached. The other soldiers surrounded you in a wide circle, content to keep their distance. It was a frustratingly efficient tactic. Attacking with mana shots or grapples would be too wasteful at this distance, and Gakke was impervious to all your offensive magic. And so, the only option you had left was to reposition and hope that the change in topography would be more favorable next jump. When Gakke was a few meters away, you hurled yourself farther north into the foothills.

~~~~~~

“Commander, you have to control your temper.” A lizardman chided as Gakke watched Anon fly away.

“I know, I know that! It’s just so frustrating…” grunted Gakke.

“He doesn’t really mean what he says. I can tell. He’s just a bratty little human who wants to be put in his place.” Said a succubus.

“… Really?”

“Yep. Humans like that always want to be taken roughly. It’s a fact. When they act timid and haughty, they want you to chase them. If you manage to pin him, he’ll melt in your hands.” affirmed the succubus.

“But… But what if he’s right? What if I hurt him? All the other boys I’ve tried to talk to, they always get scared. Maybe I’m just too big for guys like that…” Gakke sniffed.

“Aww, boss… You’re not too big. If you’re worried about your size, wouldn’t Anonymous be a good fit for you? He’s tough, he could take it. After all, you’d be gentle with him, right?” crooned a demon.

“Yes! I’d be as tender as possible with him.” Insisted Gakke.

“You won’t hurt him as long as you’re attentive to his tells. But don’t be afraid to put that boy in his place when you catch him~” winked the succubus.

Gakke nodded. “Yeah. Yeah! I’m marrying him, and he’s going to wear cute outfits every day! Yeah! Alright, let’s move out! We have a lot of ground to cover.”

Her soldiers winced at the loud sound of drool being sucked back into Gakke’s mouth echoing out of her helmet and followed their boss as she pressed north.

~~~~~~~~

This was exhausting. Half a day of moving, fighting, hiding, and running, and they were STILL after you. Albeit with half as many pursuers, but come on, give a guy a break!

You found a shady protrusion of rock high and sat down in the shade against a dead tree. Pulling some food from your bag, you scarfed down as much as you dared. Couldn’t be giving yourself cramps when you were fighting. You chased the rations with a swig of water. Soon you would need to refill your canteen. That could be an arduous task in these dry hills. Where the hell were you anyways?

You pulled your map out of your pack and smoothed it out. Let’s see… if you had started at the entrance to the shrine, fled north from Gakke, and you were now at this giant chunk of rock, that meant you were… lost. Yep, not a clue. Scanning the thin canopy of trees below, you couldn’t find any sort of landmark or defining topographical feature. Maybe straying this far from the road was a bad idea…  
A glint of metal caught your eye. Seems Gakke and co. had caught up with you. Every time you jumped, it took them more time to find you. That perfect obstacle you had dreamed of still eluded you. In a scenario where neither you nor Gakke could go any farther, Gakke would be the winner by default. All she had to do was flop on top of you to seal your fate.

The soldiers below were clamoring amongst themselves. They must think that you were finally exhausted enough for them to take. Gakke and the others sprinted up the hill towards your outcropping.

“ANONYMOUSSSSS!” screamed Gakke. Oh fuck, was she that pissed?

A sizable rock spilled off the outcropping above you, rolling into the soft dirt at your feet. Something huge growled just out of sight.

“SHE’S ABOVE YOU! GET AWAY FROM THERE!” shouted Gakke.

Oh NO.

You bolted out of the shade down the hill. Gakke be damned, you weren’t about to stick around and find out what made that noise. If it was a demon realm beast, the damn thing might actually EAT you! Marrying a meaty dork was preferable to being some feral monster’s snack. You scrambled out of cover only a few feet before you flew face first into the dust. Something had snared your foot.

Your body shot backwards as something hauled you towards the cliffs. Spitting out dirt, you twisted your body to see what had grabbed you. A line of silk nearly as thick as an elevator cable was plastered to your pantleg. The glistening strand swayed in the wind, snaking all the way up to the spinneret of the ushi-oni who had snared you.

OH NO.

The thing shrieked with glee as her back legs worked feverishly to reel you in. The monsters charging up the hill were screaming in Zipangunese. Panicking, you shot wildly at the beast. Your aim was atrocious. Only one bolt managed to connect as you were jostled by her tugging. She flinched and snorted. FUCK. Your snagged leg shot skyward as she started tugging you up the overhang. Your body dangled, one leg hanging painfully as she pulled. From this angle, there was nothing you could do. 

“CUT THE LINE! YOU HAVE TO CUT THE LINE!” screamed Gakke. Her upside-down metal figure bounded towards you.

The line! Calm down, Anon. Remember your training! Grabbing the thread, you poured magic into it. The webbing began to sputter and bubble as you heated it. Eugh… All this bouncing was making you sick. Couldn’t this bitch try to web you some time when you HADN’T just finished lunch?

The silk gave way with a dull snap. A frustrated roar reverberated across the cliffs above you. Your limp body fell back into the dirt. Claws scrabbled over the rock. One of Gakke’s soldiers had almost reached you. A minotaur clambered up the hill towards your crumpled body. You crawled towards her with an outstretched hand. Fuck it, desperate times called for unconventional allies. The mino stretched out her hand and froze. Her face contorted with terror. Twisting her body, she dove down an embankment. What the hell was she-

A feral screech rang out above you. You screamed yourself as a cage of leg spikes bored into the ground around you. The ushi’s body squashed you from above, stifling your cry. She landed on you! Though she had obviously tried to cushion the blow, (you were still alive after all), the sudden weight on your back winded you and partially buried your body in the soft dirt.

{THIS IS MY HUSBAND! STAY AWAY!} roared the ushi.

Sandy soil hissed as the ushi’s legs pulled free from the ground around you. Charging forward, the beast swatted aside an oni. The rest of Gakke’s girls took the hint and formed a tight cluster. Gakke never faltered. Striding up to the ushi, she took a swing at it with her mace. The ushi skittered backwards. You shook off the daze and assessed the situation.

This ushi was enormous. She was a bit shorter than Gakke, but made up what she lacked in height she made up in width. Muscles rippled under her dull green skin as she growled at Gakke. The ground trembled as she backpedaled. She must way a ton! You could feel the ground quake with every step of her monstrous legs. Still a little woozy from the adrenaline and ushi smooshing, you stood up.  
The ushi’s ears twitched. Her legs blurred as she wheeled to face you. Her face was awash with anger, anxiety, fear, and excitement. Seeing the ushi’s bared teeth and crazed mien, you realized that remaining prone until the brawl was over was probably the wisest tactic. Now that you were up and about, the ushi’s prey instincts were kicking in. Wait, was that an Eros icon on her seal? How the hell did that get on there?

No time to ponder such things when a rampaging ushi was charging. Fear got the better of you. Turning your back on her, you powered up the hill towards the cliff. The ushi was faster than you, and much faster than Gakke. You whirled around before she reached you, blasting her with a heavy stream of magic. The ushi squealed, hiding her face with her fluffy arms. Shaking her shaggy head, she uttered a guttural growl and lunged at you. This time, your spell was cut short by the impact of her hand. You grunted as she managed to palm your torso and slam you into the ground.

You saw stars. Claws wrapped around your body, lifting you up. The ushi was looking at you concernedly. Seeing you look back at her she hummed contentedly. Gakke took a swing at the ushi while it was distracted. Her mace connected, burying itself in her abdomen. The ushi oni howled and stabbed at Gakke with one of her legs. Gakke blocked the limb with her shield, but the strength of the ushi was too great. The shield dented and Gakke fell backwards down the hill.

The ushi-oni wrapped you in a bearhug while she prepared another strand of webbing. You tried to shoot her again. Be it instincts or some sort of clever means of recognizing magic, the ushi thrust you back into the ground to prevent you from casting, albeit with a bit more grace this time. Dragging you under her abdomen, her adroit legs and pedipalps quickly spun a corkscrew of webbing around your body. The sticky thread bound your legs together and your arms at your side. She spun another strand of webbing into a gob, which she affixed to the face of the cliff. Grabbing your body in one hand, she smooshed your back into the wad. Your body hung there, affixed to the wall like an insect caught on fly paper. For a moment, you caught a glimpse of a warm, reassuring smile from the ushi as if to tell you everything would be alright. Then her expression darkened, and she turned back to the advancing soldiers, raising her arms for intimidation.

A crossbow bolt sunk into the ushi-oni’s chest. She tore it out and tossed it aside without flinching. You knew ushis things were tough. There weren’t many Zipangunese students at Valisias, but every one of them attested that ushis were everything the encyclopedia made them out to be. The ones that lived in civilization weren’t so bad, and once they got a husband most of them mellowed out. But the feral ones in the wilderness? There was a reason why so much of the Spine wasn’t settled. An ushi could claim dozens of square kilometers as a hunting ground for both men and game. Even worse, ushi-onis would rarely stray far beyond the edge of their parent’s range. That meant that a single section of mountain range was all but guaranteed to become an ushi-oni reserve over time. And no ore vein or strategic location was worth fighting through an extended family of brutal, herculean, nymphomaniac, semi-magic resistant, cow-demons.

Gakke picked herself up and charged the ushi again. More soldiers joined her. The ushi was unmoved by the wall of metal clattering towards her. Now that her prey wasn’t going to run off or get hurt, she was free to let loose on these scavengers trying to steal her man. Barreling down the hill, she pounced at Gakke. Soldiers dove out of the way. Gakke recognized that it was too late to dodge and raised her shield. A gut-wrenching crunch was followed by two yowls of pain and frustration from both of the titans as they rolled down the hill in a frenzy of fists, claws, and legs. Some of the poor soldiers hadn’t been quick enough to avoid the tumult and were now flattened into the ground or slumped against whatever they had flown into. The remaining soldiers turned to assist their boss, with the exception of the automaton.

The automaton scurried up the hill as fast as she could. Her slender legs sunk deep into the loose soil. Poor thing had a hell of a time navigating sections of these hills where there was nothing to grapple from. This dust hadn’t been kind to her either. More than once, you had seen her peel back a plate to clean grit out of her gears. Wordlessly, she stood before you. Reaching out, she prodded the webbing holding you in place.

“Are you harmed, Anonymous?” she asked. It was strange to hear someone ask about your wellbeing in such a dispassionate way.  
“I’ve been better.” You still felt a little woozy from all the jolts and repeated blows.

“My condolences. Are you still able to fight?” Right to the point then…

“Yes.”

“I have simulated this combat scenario several dozen times. The odds of General Gakke’s success correlate strongly with your decision to assist her. Are you willing to assist General Gakke?” The automaton looked at you expressionlessly.

“Help her? What, so I can get snatched up the second she wins?” you said.

“Your reluctance to aid General Gakke is understandable. Our pursuit has caused you a considerable amount of duress. When the fighting is over, the chances that General Gakke secures and fornicates with you are considerably higher than your chances for escape.”  
“Then why would I help you?!” you shouted.

“If General Gakke fails to subdue the ushi-oni, there is a 100% chance that you will be forcefully raped by said ushi-oni.” Said the automaton.

You looked past her, down the hill. Gakke was pinned under the ushi, taking blow after blow from the ushi’s clawed fists. A minotaur attacked the ushi from behind, sinking her axe into the ushi’s back. The ushi roared. One of her massive arms backhanded the mino, sending her sailing a few feet back. Other soldiers lay around the bolt-riddled ushi, trying to find a way to stab without being crushed. Gakke took the opportunity to punch the thing in its human gut. The ushi bent around her fist. Gakke grabbed one side of the ushi’s legs and flipped it off of her. Not to be outdone, the ushi righted herself and began grappling with Gakke again.

“Can’t you just shoot the damn thing?!” you insisted.

“General Gakke ordered me to conserve all ammunition for potential Soheiyan pursuers. The chances of encountering Soheiyan forces increases every day we-“

“You’ll be easier pickings for them if you’re all unconscious! Wouldn’t it be a better investment to get rid of the ushi-oni now? That way you’ll all be ready to fight off any Soheiyans!” you said.

Her amethyst eyes flashed. Cones of light shot out at your face.

“Tonal and facial analysis complete. Perfidious speech recognized. You believe that using my remaining ammunition on the ushi-oni will increase your odds of escape. This is an unfounded notion. Ammunition will be conserved until General Gakke commands otherwise. I urge you to reevaluate your circumstances.” Said the automaton.

You watched the fight continue below you. For all the wounds the ushi had incurred, she was still going strong. That freakish regeneration seemed to carry over to her spirit energy as well. It occurred to you that no matter which party you would be running from, you would need to free yourself from this webbing. Using a little magic, you tried to melt your way through the goo. The webbing began to melt around your hand, searing your skin. Fuck, that hurt!

“Freeing yourself with magic will result in bodily harm. I can cut you free but will only do so if you agree to assist General Gakke. Please know that I will pursue you if you attempt to flee after being freed.” Said the robot.

“Fine! Cut me lose and I’ll blast her!” You said.

A plate on her palm flipped up and a tiny buzzsaw whirred to life. 

“Remain still.” She didn’t have to tell you twice.

The shrill noise of the saw sunk to a baritone hum as it sunk into the webbing. She must have been using some kind of magic to enhance the blade. The webbing was heating up, but it wasn’t as intolerable as it had been when you had tried to rip through it. You yelped as she cut through the gob holding you to the cliff face. Her free hand caught your still bound body and lowered you to the ground.

“Please aim carefully.” Said the automaton.

You looked down the hill from your supine position. The ushi must have heard your yip. She was staring at you with fury in her eyes. Her seal had been knocked off in the fight, now fluttering back and forth off her horn as she brawled. Uh oh. Throwing a succubus aside, she barreled up the hill towards you. The automaton adroitly cut the webbing restraining you and you revved up your magic. Grabbing a hefty rock, you hurled it into the ushi’s face. It collided with a sickening thud. The ushi paused, black blood dripping from her nose. With one wipe of her face, she was back to normal.

“That was an ineffective attack.” Observed the automaton.

“I can see that! Stop hiding behind me and help me stop this thing!” you yelled.

“Involving myself in melee combat with a monster who outclasses me in physical strength would be futile and wasteful. Please assist General Gakke.” She inched back a bit, positioning you between her and the ushi.

Pouring more of your fleeting energy into your attacks, you shot torrents of magic into her face. The ushi whined and sputtered. This was like spraying a kid in the face with a garden hose! She was still moving up hill. 

“GET IN THERE!” you shouted at the automaton as the ushi closed in.

“I reiterate: engaging in close-quarters combat with a species-“

“I WASN’T ASKING!” Seizing the automaton with your magic, you wound up a throw.

She leered at you from the air. “This transgression shall not go un-“

Her admonishment was cut short as you hurled the mechanical girl at the incoming ushi. In a striking display of agility, (or not so striking, she was a killer-robot after all), the automaton managed to spring one of her wrist blades and drive it into the ushi as she collided with it. The beast howled as the robot’s piston arm began to stab her over and over. It tore the automaton off by the arm, crushing the limb in the process. While the ushi was distracted with her new mechanical chew-toy, you obliterated the base of a nearby tree. The ushi flung the automaton aside just as you managed to guide the tree down on top of her.

It landed on her spider half. The ushi roared in pain and frustration. Her spider limbs were splayed out or stuck in the ground. With the trunk nestled behind her torso, she could only tear out chunks of the bark behind her as she thrashed about trying to free herself. Gakke capitalized on the opportunity. Coming up behind the creature, she hit it over the head with her mace. 

Realm-silver maces are funny things. It looks like someone is hitting a Jell-O bust of a person. The way the flesh dents and jiggles never failed to remind you of old cartoons. That being said, it was still unnerving as hell to see someone’s melon contort and reform like that. The ushi-oni wobbled as Gakke raised her mace. Twisting, she growled and tried to grab at the knight. Gakke smacked her again. This time, the blow stuck. The ushi went limp and faceplanted into the dirt, tiny columns of dust spraying into the air whenever she snored.

Soldiers up and down the hill were moaning in pain or out cold. The gully that the ushi had tackled Gakke into looked like it had been the victim of an unfortunate double booking between a steamroller derby and the amateur chainsaw jugglers’ association. Holy hell, an entire ARMY of Kamaka soldiers hadn’t been able to inflict this much carnage at Heida. You watched as a lizardman slid out of a tree into the dirt. Ushi-onis really were something else…

Not that it mattered to you. You were in the clear! A rampaging, one ton bundle of hyper-aggressive sexual energy wasn’t the deus ex machina you had been hoping for, but you couldn’t argue with the results. Planting your hands on your knees you bent over to catch your breath. You didn’t have much stamina left. Neither did they, but monsters always seemed to have some sort of second wind when they felt they were close to securing a husband.

Gakke was already wobbling up the hill to settle things. Her once pristine armor was now riddled with dents and scuffs. Her shield looked like it had been used to teeth a litter of hellhounds. Gakke herself hardly had the strength to pick her feet all the way off the ground to take the next step.

“Anonymous! Come here.” Panted Gakke.

“That’s not happening, Gakke.” you said firmly.

“I’m through asking! Get over here NOW!” She growled.

“Not a chance.” You readied your wards.

“I said come here!”

Gakke trundled towards you. That she could move at all was testament to her endurance. Some of the other monsters who had avoided the brunt of the conflict began to move towards your flanks. The automaton hurried out of the bushes with her crumpled arm.

“Permission to shoot, General?” asked the automaton.

“Yes! Shoot him!” roared Gakke.

A gun barrel sprang out of the automaton’s good arm. Uh oh. A brief whirring was the only warning you got before a barrage of realm-silver bullets ripped into your shields. You gasped and sputtered as they collided with your wards. It took all your energy to keep the shield up. The automaton adjusted her aim up and down your person, forcing you to exert enough energy to cover your entire body at all times. Gakke and the remaining soldiers advanced on you as you struggled to keep your footing. There was nothing you could do while that spiteful contraption was keeping you pinned like this.

Click.

The pressure abated. The automaton’s gun was empty. You gasped and dropped your shields. A few more seconds of that and you would have been done for.

“General, I am out of ammunition. Destroy him.” Said the automaton in her permanent monotone. What the hell?! Weren’t these things supposed to be servile?!

Gakke roared and swung her mace at you. You dipped the first mace swing. Pivoting, you blasted a demon that was sneaking up on you in her exposed face and moved up the hill. Gakke lunged at you. Her mace slammed into the ground, missing your foot by a few inches. She stood over you and prepared to strike again. You desperately tried to juke her mace, dipping under her arm. She anticipated the maneuver, bringing her mace up in an ark. You narrowly managed to raise your ward again before the mace collided with you.

And then you were flying. The force of the blow didn’t knock you off your feet, it sent you airborne. A cry of pain escaped your lips as you flew back into the face of the cliff. Your vision swam. That hit alone had sapped a considerable portion of your strength. You couldn’t block another. Escape was the only option.

“Ooohhh… I am FEELING IT.” Roared Gakke.

“Gakke, please! Calm down! You’re hurting him!” pleaded a succubus.

Gakke growled at the succubus. The poor succ shied away.

“I decide when he’s had enough. He’s MINE!” snarled Gakke.

“General, he’s beaten, it’s over!” implored a minotaur.

“Incorrect. Anon is still conscious. I will rectify this.” Said the automaton. She stepped past Gakke.

“Get BACK!” Gakke smacked the automaton away with a swing of her mace. The other soldiers watched in horror as the poor machine girl’s body warped around Gakke’s mace. She made a few blips and beeps and collapsed into the dirt.

“LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!” she shouted at you.

“You’re insane…” you rasped.

“This is all your fault! All I wanted was to snuggle you a little, you bastard! But you had to go and insult me! You had to make things difficult! Am I that hard to love?! Don’t I deserve to be happy?!” Gakke marched up the hill towards you.

Something felt strange. You reached behind your head. Your hair was matted with blood. You stared at it incredulously on your fingers. The soldiers gasped. Gakke froze.

“Anonymous…?” Gakke’s mace slid out of her hand.

You wobbled to your feet. It wasn’t a bad wound. You had incurred worse. The ward you threw up in haste to cushion the impact was imperfect, so you weren’t surprised that your head got knocked. Just a superficial wound and a little bit of disorientation. You could still fight.

“A-are you alright? I… I didn’t mean to hit you so hard. It was just the adrenaline from the fight! Please, come here, let me take a look at you.” Gakke’s hand was shaking. You never would have guessed someone of her stature could have such a tremulous voice.

“Not a chance.” You spat.

“Anonymous, please… It was an accident! I-I would never hurt you on purpose!” pleaded Gakke.

“Stay back!” You pinged her visor with a tiny magic bolt. She recoiled away from you.

“I swear I won’t lay a finger on you! I just want to know that you’re not hurt!” sniffled Gakke.

You looked around at the other monsters. They all looked similarly concerned for your wellbeing. You had to get out of here. But how? You had some energy left, but not enough to fight through all these monsters if the conflict drew out. And Gakke wasn’t going to let you leave if she thought you were hurt. She’d keep you secure indefinitely under the pretense of extended medical examination. You eyed the ledge above you.

“Anonymous, I swear that I’ll let you go if you just let me inspect your wound! It could be serious!” begged Gakke.

“Bullshit. How long would you let me go for, a few seconds? You’ve been chasing me for a whole day! The only reason I’m in this mess is because of YOU.” You said.

Gakke winced at your castigation. Soft crying echoed out of her helmet.

“I-I just wanted someone… to- to…” Gakke fell to her knees. A few of her soldiers moved to comfort their boss.

Shit. Maybe that was a little harsh… It was important to remember that most monsters harried you because they loved you. Loved you in their own strange, overbearing way.

You launched yourself up the cliff to the ledge the ushi had attacked you from. Some of the soldiers made a half-hearted attempt to stop you. The rest watched you melancholically as you landed on the cliff. Your legs wobbled. You needed a place to lie down…

“Gakke, he’s getting away. Should we go after him?” asked a mino.

She shook her head. “Let him go. We’re going home.”

Gakke picked up her mace and slowly reaffixed it to her waist. Picking up an unconscious amazon, she slung her comrade over her shoulder and slowly plodded away. Her troops looked at you, then her, and followed their leader back down the hill.

“Gakke!” you called.

She flinched and turned to you.

“Uhh… All that stuff I said earlier, about you not being able to get a guy? I didn’t mean it. Just… don’t come on to guys so hard. You're a sweet girl, so let them come to you sometimes.” you said.

You couldn’t tell what her expression was under her visor. She did seem to relax a little.

“Goodbye, Gakke. I hope you and Kamaka can sort this mess out.” Turning your back on the carnage below, you clambered up the rocky hill. It was risky to stray this close to ushi territory, but with one ushi down it was unlikely that there were any more nearby. As long as you could find a place to rest and recuperate, you would be back on the road before you knew it!

You shuddered. Why did you think that? Every time that thought crossed your mind, things always went south. Shaking your head, you crested a pile of rocks and slipped into the mountains.

~~~~~~~

Royoshi watched through the leaves as the dragoon circled lazily above them in the fading light. Wheeling around one last time, the duo flew towards the cliffs to rest for the evening. With a flick of her hand, Royoshi and the kunoichi were on the move again. Only the rustle of leaves and the hiss of soles on tree bark foretold the movement of the group.

Where the hell was Gakke? It had been days since Royoshi had been dispatched. She had searched up and down the Spine for her sister. Moegara hadn’t recalled her, so it was unlikely that Gakke had been caught.

Heida was now far behind them. None of the villagers had seen Gakke pass through. The trail was cold. To think that one of the largest oni on the island could disappear so completely.

“Royoshi, do you think your sister has been apprehended?” asked one of the kunoichi.

“No. Those dragoons wouldn’t be patrolling this area if she was.” murmured Royoshi.

“We’ve found no trace of her. Perhaps she’s given up trying to cross the Spine and moved east into the forest?”

“She doesn’t have the means to hide in the forest. And her honor will demand that she return to help Kamaka.”

“It will take days to reach the next major pass.”

Royoshi swung out of a tree onto the road. Her sisters followed her, silently landing next to her.

“She wouldn’t take a major pass, not when she’s desperate. Soheiya has been forcing her north. There’s a minor pass nearby, built next to a ryu shrine. She’d be easy pickings for a dragoon if they caught her on the cliff face, but I’d wager that she’s been in at least one conflict if we haven’t seen her yet. She’s probably desperate enough to risk a minor pass by now.” Said Royoshi.

“Shall we pay the shrine a visit?” asked a kunoichi.

“Yes. It should be around here. Spread out and find the entrance.”

After a few more minutes of running, Royoshi was perched on the tori over the path leading to the shrine.

“I’m going up to the shrine. The rest of you wait here.” Ordered Royoshi.

The kunoichi took up comfortable positions in the trees as their leader followed the path through the glade. A few minutes later, Royoshi stood at the entrance to the shrine.

Moonlight reflected off the white gravel, giving the illusion that the ground was emitting its own soft, silver light. Silently striding through the empty temple, Royoshi stopped at the offering bowl. No sign of the attendants. The faint sound of mirthful conversation tickled her ears. It sounded like they were eating dinner. A shame she had to interrupt them, but she had to know if her sister had been by. Raising her knuckle, she rapped it against the rim of the offering bowl.

A low, warbling note broke the tranquility of the night. The sound of dining ceased. A moment later, a shirohebi slid open the door next to the offering bowl. Her scowl broke when she saw an oni wearing a kunoichi’s leotard and mask staring down at her. Royoshi had come to accept that her wardrobe was unconventional; the ogling eyes of others meant nothing to her as long as the clothes she wore were practical.

“The shrine is closed. Come back tomorrow.” Said the shirohebi.

“I'm not here to pray. I need information.” Said Royoshi.

“Did you not hear me? The shrine is closed. Leave.”

“It’s important. I just need to know if my sister traveled through the pass behind the shrine.” Pressed Royoshi.

“I don’t know who your sister is, and I don’t care. Begone or I’ll incinerate you.” Huffed the snake.

The shirohebi tried to shut the door. Royoshi whipped a kunai into the wood between her fingers. The lamia yelped. Royoshi was already upon her, her tanto tickling the lamia’s chin.

“You’re being quite rude to your guest.” whispered Royoshi.

The shirohebi sputtered and gasped. “Y-you… You’re…

“Hmm? Have you heard of me? That’s a shame. I try so hard to keep my name out of people’s mouths. I won’t find it in yours, will I?” Royoshi put more pressure on her tanto.

“N-no.” squeaked the shirohebi.

“Good. I appreciate when a host is so accommodating.” Royoshi sheathed her tanto.

“Panophis? Is everything alright? What’s taking you so long?”

Zutari slithered into view. She froze when she saw the hulking oni towering over her righthand maiden.

“Panophis? Who is this?” Zutari asked carefully.

“Royoshi.” Whimpered Panophis.

Zutari stared blankly at Panophis until the truth dawned on her. “Royoshi?! Moegara’s assassin?!” Lifting herself higher on her snake half, Zutari tried to stand at eyelevel with Royoshi. “If you’ve come to eliminate me, you shan’t find it a facile task.”

“If I was here to eliminate you, I’d already have one of your horns as my trophy.” Royoshi said coolly.

Zutari shrank back. “Why are you here.”

“I need information. My sister, Gakke. Did she go through the pass or not?” demanded Royoshi.

“No. There hasn’t been anyone through the pass. The only person to visit our shrine was a surly vagabond. Some freakish human.” Said Zutari.

Royoshi sighed. Gakke was still on the eastern side of the central mountain range. But where?

“Are you… searching for the human?” probed Zutari.

The question tantalized Royoshi. She had heard all about the human from Nokoribi and her soldiers. Moegara had ordered her not to go after him. She longed for the chance to sink her knives into him. Mages were finicky prey; sometimes they were clever and powerful, and other times they failed to get out of bed before Royoshi ran them through. This mage seemed to be more in line with the former. To think the quarry she had longed to chase was this close. But Moegara needed her back in Kamaka. Though, what could a few days detour hurt?

“Perhaps. What did he look like?” asked Royoshi.

Zutari balked. Royoshi’s demeanor had shifted from cool aloofness to unflinching intent.

“He was strange looking. Pale, weird eyes, used magic, and he was insolent as hell.” Said Zutari.

“How long has it been since he visited the shrine?” asked Royoshi.

“A few days. Is Moegara interested in such a flippant pauper?” asked Zutari.

“Yes.”

“What makes him so special? Surely there are better prospects for the heiresses of Kamaka.” Said Zutari.

“You never asked?” Royoshi raised an eyebrow.

“It never really came up…” Zutari’s eyes flitted away. Royoshi knew that she must have sent him away.

“His mana, did you smell it?” pressed Royoshi.

“Yes. It was… odd. Not unpleasant, but unlike anything else I’ve smelled. Almost like a bouquet of essences.” Said Zutari.

“That’s him…When this human left the shrine, which way did he go?” said Royoshi.

“Bah! That bastard went on a rampage after I rejected him! Tore apart the glade and left all sorts of divots in the road to spite me! It took ages to patch everything back up! Judging from the destruction, he was headed north.” Zutari’s tail thrashed about as she remembered seeing her beautiful glade and road defiled.

North… Only a few days away… It was too tempting to resist. If she tasked the kunoichi with escorting Gakke, she could go after Anonymous. Yes, the kunoichi could take care of Gakke; catching such illustrious prey required Royoshi’s full attention.

“Just out of curiosity, why IS Kamaka interested in him?” Zutari did her best to sound disinterested.

“I don’t know all the details. From what I’ve gathered, he’s some sort of extra-dimensional human. Proud, deceivingly powerful, and sassy. He’s been raising hell in half a dozen cities since he arrived in this world.” Said Royoshi.

“Extra-dimensional…?” Asked Zutari. What was this oni saying.

“Precisely. Apparently some undead noble figured out how to warp a human from one world to another. Those Kyriavalissian staters in the offering bowl, did he leave those? From what I heard, he arrived in Zipangu onboard Princess Sabekar’s ship after escaping Nauraea in Apliseline. Interesting; I didn't know how many of those rumors were true. I requested more literature on him, but the war put a halt to the acquisition of any more information on him.” Said Royoshi.

Zutari gawked at the assassin. “Huh…”

“If you see my sister, tell her that mother requests her presence in Kamaka at once.” Royoshi left the stupefied ryu and shirohebi behind as she sauntered off back to her cadre of kunoichi. Yes, a nice little hunt was just the thing she needed to break this monotony. This would be fun…

Zutari watched the oni’s hips sway as he departed. “Panophis, do you think I should have just let that human… what was his name?”

“Err… I never asked him, Lady Zutari.” mumbled Panophis.

“You never asked for his name?!” 

“Neither did you!” huffed Panophis.

“Damn it… Well, just because he’s special doesn’t mean he’s important! If it mattered where that freak was from, people wouldn’t let him walk around penniless like that! That princess probably just pitied him!” said Zutari.

“Yes, if he was so special, why hasn’t anyone else claimed him?” added Panophis.

“Exactly! That arrogant fool couldn’t court a lesser succubus! He doesn’t DESERVE someone like me. And his mana smelled funny!” Zutari proclaimed proudly.

“Yeah!”

Zutari and Panophis listened to the crickets chirp. The ryu’s face slowly soured.

“… Are you upset, Lady Zu-“

“Let us go finish dinner, Panophis.”


End file.
